Shloka 18
Tilottamā, Sunda–Upasunda, and the Pāṇḍava Samaya (Ādi Parva 204)
तथैव कृतिनौ युद्धे यमौ यमसुताविव । कथं विजेतुं शक््यौ तौ रणे जीवितुमिच्छता,इसी प्रकार जो जीवित रहना चाहता है, उसके द्वारा युद्धमें निपुण तथा यमराजके पुत्रोंकी भाँति भयंकर दोनों भाई नकुल-सहदेव कैसे जीते जा सकते हैं?
tathaiva kṛtinau yuddhe yamau yamasutāv iva | kathaṁ vijetuṁ śakyau tau raṇe jīvitum icchatā ||
«De même, ces deux-là—les jumeaux experts au combat, terribles comme les fils de Yama—comment pourraient-ils être vaincus à la guerre par quiconque tient encore à la vie ?»
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura emphasizes prudent, dharmic counsel: do not pursue a hostile course that makes conflict inevitable with formidable warriors; a person who values life should avoid reckless enmity and choose restraint and wise policy.
Vidura is warning about the military reality of confronting the Pandava twins, Nakula and Sahadeva. He portrays them as highly skilled and terrifying—like Yama’s sons—arguing that defeating them in open battle is nearly impossible for someone hoping to survive.