Shloka 61
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
वीर भरतनन्दन! तुम कवच धारण कर लो, अपने केशोंको अच्छी तरह बाँध लो तथा युद्धकी और कोई आवश्यक सामग्री जो तुम्हारे पास न हो, उसे भी ले लो ।।
vīra bharatanandana! tvaṁ kavacaṁ dhārayasva, sva-keśān suṣṭhu nibadhnīhi, yuddhasya cānyāṁ yāṁ kaścid āvaśyakāṁ sāmagrīṁ tvayi nāsti tāṁ ca gṛhāṇa. imam ekaṁ ca te kāmaṁ vīra bhūyo dadāmy aham—pañcānāṁ pāṇḍaveyānāṁ yena tvaṁ yoddhum icchasi, tam ekam eva hatvā tvaṁ rājā bhaviṣyasi; atha vā svayaṁ hataḥ svarga-lokaṁ prāpsyasi. śūra-vīra! brūhi—jīvita-rakṣāṁ vinā yuddhe tava priyaṁ kim anyat kariṣyāmaḥ?
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Oh héroe, alegría de la estirpe de Bharata, ponte la armadura; ata firmemente tu cabellera; y toma cuanto te falte de lo necesario para la batalla. Y te concedo además un don, oh guerrero: de los cinco hijos de Pāṇḍu, a quien quieras combatir—si matas a ese solo, podrás ser rey; pero si tú mismo caes, alcanzarás el cielo. Dime, valiente: aparte de salvaguardar tu vida, ¿qué otro servicio querido podemos prestarte en esta guerra?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames kṣatriya duty in stark ethical terms: enter battle prepared, accept the consequences of combat, and recognize the two classical outcomes for a warrior—victory and sovereignty, or death and heaven—while also exposing the moral tension of granting a boon that reduces mass slaughter to a single targeted killing.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a warrior (honored as ‘Bharatanandana’), instructing him to equip himself for battle and then offering a conditional boon: he may choose any one of the five Pāṇḍavas to fight; if he kills that chosen one he can claim kingship, and if he dies he attains heaven—after which Yudhiṣṭhira asks what further favor is desired besides protection of life.