Shloka 226
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
एतावदुकक््त्वा वचनं विरराम जनाधिप: । “भरतश्रेष्ठ) आज मैं भाइयोंसहित तुम्हारा वध करके उन यशस्वी क्षत्रियोंक ऋणसे उऋण हो जाऊँगा। बाह्लीक
sañjaya uvāca | etāvad uktvā vacanaṁ virarāma janādhipaḥ | “bharataśreṣṭha, adya ahaṁ bhrātṛbhiḥ saha tvāṁ hatvā teṣu yaśasviṣu kṣatriyeṣu ṛṇād uṛṇo bhaviṣyāmi | bāhlīka-droṇa-bhīṣma-mahāmanā-karṇa-śūravīra-jayadratha-bhagadattta-madrarājaśalya-bhūriśravāḥ-subalakumāra-śakuni-tathā putra-mitra-suhṛd-bandhu-bāndhaveṣu ca ṛṇād api uṛṇo bhaviṣyāmi” iti | rājā duryodhana etāvad uktvā tūṣṇīṁ babhūva |
Sañjaya dijo: Dichas estas palabras, el señor de los hombres guardó silencio. «Oh, el mejor de los Bharatas, hoy, junto con mis hermanos, os daré muerte y así me libraré de la deuda que tengo con aquellos ilustres kṣatriyas. Quedaré libre de la deuda que debo a Bāhlīka, a Droṇa, a Bhīṣma, al magnánimo Karṇa, al heroico Jayadratha, a Bhagadatta, a Śalya, rey de Madra, a Bhūriśravā, a Śakuni, hijo de Subala; y también de la deuda que debo a mis hijos, amigos, bienhechores y parientes.» Habiendo dicho esto, el rey Duryodhana enmudeció.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames warfare as a network of obligations (ṛṇa): Duryodhana interprets loyalty to elders, allies, and kin as a debt to be repaid through decisive action in battle. Ethically, it highlights how the language of duty and gratitude can be used to justify violence, revealing the tension between personal obligation and broader dharma.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, after declaring his intention to kill his opponent with the help of his brothers, claims he will thereby become ‘free of debt’ to prominent warriors and to his own relations who have supported him. After this declaration of resolve, he falls silent.