Shloka 10
Adhyāya 33: Rauhiṇeya (Balarāma) is welcomed and takes his seat to witness the gadā-engagement
को नु सर्वान् विनिर्जित्य शत्रूनेकेन वैरिणा,“भला कौन ऐसा होगा, जो सब शत्रुओंको जीत लेनेके बाद जब एक ही बाकी रह जाय और वह भी संकटमें पड़ा हो तो उसके साथ अपने हाथमें आये हुए राज्यको दाँवपर लगाकर हार जाय और इस प्रकार एकके साथ युद्ध करनेकी शर्त रखकर लड़ना पसंद करे?
ko nu sarvān vinirjitya śatrūn ekena vairiṇā |
Sañjaya said: “Who, after conquering all enemies, would then stake the kingdom already won and choose to fight on a wager with just one remaining foe—especially when that lone adversary is already in distress?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a prudential ethic in kingship and warfare: after achieving victory, it is irrational and ethically questionable to gamble away a hard-won realm out of pride or fixation on a single remaining opponent—especially one already weakened.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, frames a rhetorical question to criticize the idea of risking an already-secured kingdom by agreeing to a wagered, single-opponent fight, underscoring the folly of such a choice in the ongoing war context.