Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 58
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
तस्य तदू वचन राज्ञ: पूजयित्वा महारथा:
tasya tad u vacanaṁ rājñaḥ pūjayitvā mahārathāḥ punar yuddhāya pāṇḍavānām abhimukham ājagmuḥ; parājayo hy eṣām asahyaḥ samabhavat, tasmāt te parākrame eva manaḥ cakruḥ.
Dijo Sañjaya: Honrando las palabras del rey, aquellos grandes guerreros de carro avanzaron una vez más para enfrentar a los Pāṇḍavas en batalla. La derrota se les había vuelto insoportable; por ello fijaron su mente únicamente en el valor y renovaron su empeño en la guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how honour and wounded pride can drive warriors back into conflict: they respect the king’s command and, unable to bear defeat, commit themselves to renewed exertion. Ethically, it shows the tension between kṣatriya resolve and the danger of letting ego and intolerance of loss dictate action.
After hearing and accepting the king’s words (Duryodhana’s directive), the great chariot-warriors regroup and advance again to confront the Pāṇḍavas. Their previous setback feels intolerable, so they return with a single-minded focus on displaying prowess in battle.