Shloka 42
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
ता निशम्य ततो वाच: सर्वयोधैरुदाह्ृता: । आगस्कृत् सर्वलोकस्य पुत्रो दुर्योधनस्तव,भारत! तब सम्पूर्ण योद्धाओंके मुखसे निकली हुई उन बातोंको सुनकर सम्पूर्ण लोकोंका अपराध करनेवाले आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनने भीष्म, द्रोण, कृप और शल्यसे कहा --“आपलोग अहंकार छोड़कर युद्ध करें; विलम्ब क्यों कर रहे हैं?
tā niśamya tato vācaḥ sarvayodhair udāhṛtāḥ | āgaskṛt sarvalokasya putro duryodhanas tava bhārata |
Sañjaya said: Hearing those words spoken aloud by all the warriors, your son Duryodhana—one who had brought offence upon the whole world—addressed Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, and Śalya: “Cast aside pride and fight. Why do you delay?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how pride and hesitation can distort righteous action in war: Duryodhana urges senior commanders to abandon ego and act decisively, while the narration also marks him as morally culpable (“offender of the world”), reminding the reader that forceful leadership without dharmic restraint carries ethical blame.
After the warriors’ collective remarks are heard, Duryodhana turns to the chief elders and commanders—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, and Śalya—and presses them to begin fighting without delay, accusing them (implicitly) of holding back and demanding immediate action.