Shloka 104
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
योद्धव्यं मारिषान्यत्र न योद्धव्यं च मादृशै: । मादृशैर्युध्यमानानामेतच्चान्यच्च विद्यते,“आर्य! तुझे और लोगोंके साथ युद्ध करना चाहिये। मेरे-जैसे वीरोंके साथ नहीं। मेरे- जैसे योद्धाओंसे जूझनेवालोंकी ऐसी ही अथवा इससे भी बुरी दशा होती है
yoddhavyaṃ māriṣānyatra na yoddhavyaṃ ca mādṛśaiḥ | mādṛśair yudhyamānānām etac cānyac ca vidyate ||
Sanjaya said: “O noble one, here you should fight with other men, not with warriors like me. For those who choose to grapple with fighters of my kind, this—and worse besides—is what awaits.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a warrior-ethic warning: choosing one’s opponent matters, because engaging superior or equal fighters brings severe consequences. It reflects the Mahabharata’s recurring tension between valor and prudence—courage is praised, yet reckless confrontation is portrayed as leading to ruin.
Sanjaya, narrating the battlefield events, voices a taunting or cautionary remark addressed to a respected person (“māriṣa”), advising him to fight others rather than contend with warriors ‘like me.’ The line underscores the harsh reality of the Kurukṣetra war: those who challenge formidable fighters meet disastrous outcomes.