Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha
Verbal Duel and Omens
केकयै: सृग्जयैर्दप्तं पञ्चालैश्व महात्मभि: । राजन्! तदनन्तर दुर्योधनने अमितपराक्रमी बलराम, महात्मा श्रीकृष्ण, महामनस्वी पांचाल, संजय, केकयगण तथा अपने भाइयोंके साथ खड़े हुए अभिमानी युधिष्ठिरसे इस प्रकार गर्वयुक्त वचन कहा-- ।। ४३-४४ $ ।। इदं व्यवसितं युद्ध मम भीमस्य चोभयो:
kekayaiḥ sṛñjayair daptaṃ pañcālaiś ca mahātmabhiḥ | rājan tad-anantaraṃ duryodhanena amitaparākramī balarāmaḥ mahātmā śrīkṛṣṇaḥ mahāmanasvī pāñcālaḥ sañjayaḥ kekayagaṇaḥ tathā svabhrātṛbhiḥ saha tiṣṭhataḥ abhīmāninā yudhiṣṭhirena etad-vidhaṃ garvayuktaṃ vacanaṃ uktam || idaṃ vyavasitaṃ yuddhaṃ mama bhīmasya cobhayoḥ ||
Sañjaya dijo: «¡Oh rey! Después de que los Kekayas, los Sṛñjayas y los magnánimos Pāñcālas fueron encendidos en ardor, el orgulloso Yudhiṣṭhira—de pie junto a Balarāma de inconmensurable poder, el gran Śrī Kṛṣṇa, los nobles caudillos de Pāñcāla, Sañjaya, la hueste de Kekaya y sus propios hermanos—pronunció estas palabras jactanciosas: “Esta batalla ha quedado firmemente resuelta: entre Bhīma y yo, para nosotros dos.”»
संजय उवाच
The passage highlights how pride and boastful resolve can color even a righteous cause: in war, determination (vyavasāya) must be governed by dharma and restraint, otherwise it becomes mere ego-driven rivalry.
Sañjaya reports that, amid the assembled allies (Kekayas, Sṛñjayas, Pāñcālas) and notable figures like Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa, Yudhiṣṭhira—described as proud—declares that a decisive fight has been settled between himself and Bhīma.