Shloka 263
दुर्योधन–द्रोणसंवादः
Arjuna-vīrya-prasaṃśā and renewed battle formation
तत्तद् विकत्थमानानां भारं चोद्धहतां मृथे । 'युद्धस्थलमें महान् भार उठानेवाले शूरवीर यदि युद्धके मुहानेपर अपनी प्रशंसाकी ही बातें कहते हैं तो इसमें मुझे उनका कोई दोष नहीं दिखायी देता
tattad vikatthamānānāṃ bhāraṃ coddahatāṃ mṛdhe |
Sañjaya said: “As for those heroes who, in the thick of battle, bear and lift great burdens, if at the very mouth of combat they speak words in praise of their own prowess, I see no fault in them.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a war setting governed by kṣatriya norms, self-assertive speech and even boasting can function as morale, intimidation, and affirmation of duty; when one truly bears the burdens of battle, such words are not automatically blameworthy.
Sañjaya comments on warriors at the threshold of combat: those who shoulder the heavy demands of fighting may speak self-praise, and he frames this as understandable and not a moral defect in that context.