Shloka 96
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
यत्र भोज्यं बहुविध॑ भक्ष्यं पेयं च पाण्डव । तत्र त्वं दुर्मते योग्यो न युद्धेषु कदाचन,'दुर्बुद्धि पाण्डव! जहाँ अनेक प्रकारकी खाने-पीनेकी वस्तुएँ रखी हों, तू वहीं रहनेके योग्य है! युद्धोंमें तुओ कभी नहीं आना चाहिये
yatra bhojyaṃ bahuvidhaṃ bhakṣyaṃ peyaṃ ca pāṇḍava | tatra tvaṃ durmate yogyo na yuddheṣu kadācana ||
Sañjaya said: “O Pāṇḍava, where there are many kinds of foods to be eaten and things to be drunk, there—O foolish-minded one—you are fit to remain; you should never come to the battles.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how speech can be used to shame an opponent by contrasting indulgence (food and drink) with the warrior’s duty. Ethically, it points to the tension between kṣatriya ideals of courage and the degrading use of mockery in war.
Sañjaya reports a taunting remark addressed to a “Pāṇḍava,” implying he is better suited to places of feasting than the battlefield, and that he should not appear in combat.