Shloka 12
Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha
Verbal Duel and Omens
ततो दुर्योधनो राजा प्रगृह्म महतीं गदाम् | पदभ्याममर्षी द्युतिमानगच्छत् पाण्डवैः सह,महाराज! तब “बहुत अच्छा”, कहकर वीर राजा कुन्तीपुत्र युधिष्ठिर समन्तपंचक तीर्थकी ओर चल दिये। उस समय अमर्षमें भरा हुआ तेजस्वी राजा दुर्योधन हाथमें विशाल गदा लेकर पाण्डवोंके साथ पैदल ही चला
tato duryodhano rājā pragṛhya mahatīṁ gadām | padabhyām amarṣī dyutimān agacchat pāṇḍavaiḥ saha, mahārāja |
संजय म्हणाला—मग राजा दुर्योधनाने विशाल गदा उचलली; अमर्षाने भरलेला, तेजस्वी असा तो पायीच पाण्डवांसह निघाला.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner states—especially amarṣa (resentful indignation)—can propel action with great force. Even when outwardly 'radiant' and kingly, a leader driven by anger and pride moves toward conflict, showing the ethical tension between martial resolve and the corrosive motives that underlie it.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, gripping a huge mace, proceeds on foot along with the Pāṇḍavas—setting the stage for the climactic mace-fight episode in the Shalya Parva.