Shloka 19
दुन्दुभिवधप्रसङ्गः
The Dundubhi Episode and the Proof of Rama’s Prowess
यदि युद्धेऽसमर्थस्त्वं मद्भयाद्वा निरुद्यमः।समाचक्ष्व प्रदद्यान्मे योऽद्य युद्धं युयुत्सतः4.11.19।।
yadi yuddhe 'samarthas tvaṃ madbhayād vā nirudyamaḥ | samācakṣva pradadyān me yo 'dya yuddhaṃ yuyutsataḥ ||
もし汝が戦えぬのなら—あるいは我を恐れて手を引くのなら—告げよ。今日、誰が我と戦場で相まみえ、我に一騎討ちを許すのか。
'If you are unable or unwilling to fight me out of fear, tell me who wants to challenge me to a duel.
FAQs
Dharma rejects coercive taunts: Dundubhi frames nonviolence as cowardice, showing how pride manipulates ethics by equating righteousness with weakness.
Dundubhi, angered by Himavān’s refusal, demands either a fight or the name of another challenger.
The verse foregrounds the vice of arrogance (mada) and the misuse of “honor” language to provoke conflict.