Shloka 25
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Dialogue on Peace and the Refusal of Compromise
तानभिप्रेक्ष्य संग्रामे विशीर्णानिव पर्वतान् | भीतो भीमस्य संस्पर्शात् स्मर्तासि वचनस्य मे
tān abhiprekṣya saṅgrāme viśīrṇān iva parvatān | bhīto bhīmasya saṁsparśāt smārtāsi vacanasya me ||
ドゥルヨーダナは言った。「戦場で、彼らが山のように砕けて横たわるのを見れば、その時お前は—ビーマの触れにさえ怯えつつ—わが言葉を思い出すであろう。」
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how prideful confidence and intimidation operate in wartime rhetoric: Duryodhana seeks to bind an ally through fear and prediction, implying that real strength will force remembrance of earlier counsel. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring critique of arrogance and the psychological manipulation that fuels adharma-driven conflict.
Duryodhana addresses his listener (contextually, a key ally such as Karṇa), forecasting a future battlefield scene where opponents lie smashed like mountains. He claims that, once Bhīma’s force is felt, the listener will recall Duryodhana’s present words—an attempt to assert authority and shape resolve before the war.