Shloka 23
Gadā-yuddhe Bhīma–Duryodhanayoḥ Tumulaḥ Saṃprahāraḥ
Mace-duel’s intense exchange
एकाह्वा विनिहत्येमं भविष्याम्यात्मनोडनृण: । अद्यायुर्धार्राष्ट्रस्थ दुर्मतेरकृतात्मन:
ekāhvā vinihatyemaṁ bhaviṣyāmyātmano 'nṛṇaḥ | adyāyur dhārtarāṣṭrastha durmater akṛtātmanaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Having challenged and slain this man in single combat, I shall be free of my debt to myself. Today the life of that evil-minded, undisciplined man who stands with the Dhārtarāṣṭras will come to an end.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames combat as a matter of personal obligation and honor: by fulfilling a vowed challenge and overcoming an opponent, one becomes ‘anṛṇa’—free of a self-imposed debt. It also contrasts disciplined resolve with the moral failing implied by ‘durmati’ (evil-minded) and ‘akṛtātman’ (lacking self-control).
Sañjaya reports a warrior’s determination to challenge an enemy to single combat and kill him that very day, describing the opponent as aligned with the Dhārtarāṣṭras (the Kaurava camp) and characterized by poor judgment and lack of self-restraint.