Shloka 34
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ५४: दुर्योधनस्य धृतराष्ट्रं प्रति बलप्रशंसन-युक्तः आश्वासनवादः
Duryodhana’s Reassurance and Force-Praise to Dhritarashtra
दुर्योधनसमो नास्ति गदायामिति निश्चय: । संकर्षणस्य भद्रें ते यत् तदैेनमुपावसम्
duryodhanasamo nāsti gadāyām iti niścayaḥ | saṅkarṣaṇasya bhadraṃ te yat tadaivainam upāvasam |
Semoga engkau sejahtera. Saṅkarṣaṇa (Balarāma) pun berkeyakinan teguh bahwa dalam seni gada tak ada yang setara dengan Duryodhana. Ia mengucapkannya pada saat aku tinggal dekatnya dan menerima ajaran gada darinya.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how claims of superiority in warfare are bolstered by appealing to an esteemed authority (Balarāma). Ethically, it also shows how martial excellence can feed pride and become a tool in political persuasion.
Duryodhana asserts that no one equals him in mace-combat and cites Balarāma (Saṅkarṣaṇa) as having affirmed this when Duryodhana lived with him to learn the mace.