Shloka 13
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Dialogue on Peace and the Refusal of Compromise
रथो वेदी ख्रुवः खड्गो गदा स्लरुक् कवचोडजिनम् | चातुर्ोत्रं च धुर्या मे शरा दर्भा हविर्यश:
ratho vedī dhruvaḥ khaḍgo gadā sruk kavacājinaṃ | cāturotraṃ ca dhuryā me śarā darbhā havir yaśaḥ ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Keretaku sendiri adalah vedi (altar); pedangku adalah khruva, tiang yang tegak; gadaku adalah sruva, sendok persembahan; zirahku adalah kulit rusa. Empat kuda penarik keretaku adalah empat hotṛ (imam); anak panahku adalah rumput darbha; dan kemasyhuranku adalah havis, persembahan.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse shows how Duryodhana reinterprets sacred Vedic sacrifice as a metaphor for warfare, revealing an ethical inversion: ritual symbols meant for dharma are appropriated to sanctify aggression and the pursuit of fame.
In Udyoga Parva, as the conflict moves toward war, Duryodhana speaks in a defiant, self-affirming tone, describing his martial preparations as if they were components of a yajña—chariot as altar, weapons as ritual implements, and fame as the offering.