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Shloka 46

अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः

Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana

प्रजानाथ! उन सबके भाग जानेपर कुरुराज दुर्योधनने शत्रुपक्षकी और अपनी दोनों ही सेनाओंपर आक्रमण किया ।। ततो दुर्योधन: सर्वानाजुहावाथ पाण्डवान्‌ | युद्धाय भरतश्रेष्ठ देवानिव पुरा बलि:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! जैसे पूर्वकालमें राजा बलिने देवताओंको युद्धके लिये ललकारा था, उसी प्रकार दुर्योधनने समस्त पाण्डवोंका आह्वान किया

tato duryodhanaḥ sarvān ājuhāvātha pāṇḍavān | yuddhāya bharataśreṣṭha devān iva purā baliḥ ||

Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai pelindung rakyat, apabila mereka semua telah melarikan diri, raja Kuru, Duryodhana, menyerbu—baik ke pihak musuh mahupun ke pihak tenteranya sendiri. Lalu Duryodhana mencabar semua Pāṇḍava untuk berperang, wahai yang terbaik antara keturunan Bharata, sebagaimana pada zaman silam Raja Bali pernah memanggil para dewa ke medan perang.”

{'tataḥ''then, thereafter', 'duryodhanaḥ': 'Duryodhana (the Kuru prince, leader of the Kauravas)', 'sarvān': 'all (of them)', 'ājuhāva (ā-hū, perfect)': 'called, summoned, challenged', 'atha': 'then, and then', 'pāṇḍavān': 'the Pāṇḍavas (sons of Pāṇḍu)', 'yuddhāya': 'for battle, to fight (dative/purpose)', 'bharataśreṣṭha': 'O best of the Bharatas (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'devān': 'the gods', 'iva': 'like, as', 'purā': 'formerly, in ancient times', 'baliḥ': 'Bali (mythic king famed for power and confrontation with the gods)'}
{'tataḥ':

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
D
Duryodhana
P
Pāṇḍavas
B
Bharata (dynastic epithet)
D
Devas
K
King Bali

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights how pride and defiant resolve can intensify conflict: Duryodhana’s public summons to battle, likened to Bali’s challenge to the gods, underscores a warrior’s audacity while also hinting at the moral peril of hubris that drives war forward.

Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana calls out the Pāṇḍavas to fight. The comparison to King Bali challenging the gods serves to magnify the dramatic scale of the moment and portray Duryodhana’s confrontational stance as the battle momentum builds.