Shloka 38
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
दुर्योधन उवाच नैतच्चित्रं महाराज यद्धी: प्राणिनमाविशेत् । न च प्राणभयाद् भीतो व्यपयातो5स्मि भारत,दुर्योधन बोला--महाराज! किसी भी प्राणीके मनमें भय समा जाय, यह आश्वर्यकी बात नहीं है; परंतु भरत-नन्दन! मैं प्राणोंक भयसे भागकर यहाँ नहीं आया हूँ
duryodhana uvāca naitac citraṃ mahārāja yad dhīḥ prāṇinam āviśet | na ca prāṇabhayād bhīto vyapayāto ’smi bhārata ||
ದುರ್ಯೋಧನನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಮಹಾರಾಜನೇ! ಯಾವುದೇ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಯ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಭಯ ಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸುವುದು ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯವಲ್ಲ; ಆದರೆ ಓ ಭರತವಂಶಜನೇ! ಪ್ರಾಣಭಯದಿಂದ ಭೀತನಾಗಿ ನಾನು ಹಿಂದೆ ಸರಿದು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂದಿಲ್ಲ.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Fear is natural to embodied beings, but Duryodhana frames his conduct as guided by honor rather than mere survival-instinct, asserting that retreat (if any) is not motivated by fear of death.
In the Shalya Parva war setting, Duryodhana responds to an implied accusation of fleeing or losing nerve, insisting to the addressed king/elder that he has not come away due to fear for his life.