Shloka 293
Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57
समुद्यम्य गदां घोरां प्रत्यविध्यत् परंतप: । शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनने भीमसेनको गदा घुमाते देख अपनी भयंकर गदा उठाकर उनकी गदापर दे मारी
samudyamya gadāṁ ghorāṁ pratyavidhyat paraṁtapaḥ |
Dijo Sañjaya: Al ver a Bhīmasena hacer girar su maza, tu hijo Duryodhana —azote de enemigos— alzó la suya, terrible, y respondió golpeando, maza contra maza. Así el duelo se endureció como una prueba de fuerza y determinación, donde el deber del guerrero (kṣatra-dharma) se expresa en el combate directo y disciplinado, no en la retirada.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya conduct in war: when challenged in a fair duel, a warrior answers with courage and skill. Ethically, it underscores steadfastness and accountability in action—meeting force with disciplined resolve—while also reminding that prowess alone does not settle the deeper moral causes driving the conflict.
Sañjaya describes the mace-fight: Bhīma swings his mace, and Duryodhana raises his own fearsome mace and counter-strikes, making it a direct clash of weapons in their climactic duel.