Shloka 61
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
अभियुक्तस्तु को राजा दातुमिच्छेद्धि मेदिनीम्
abhiyuktas tu ko rājā dātum icched dhi medinīm | yo śatrūbhiḥ saṃkrāntaḥ syāt—sa kathaṃ bhūmiṃ dadātum icchet || kauravanandana nareśa! adhunā na tvaṃ kasyacid pṛthivīṃ dātuṃ śaknoṣi, na ca balāt parasyāḥ hartuṃ śaknoṣi | evaṃ sthite kathaṃ te bhūmidāne icchā samutpannā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Raja manakah, ketika terhimpit dan negeri dilanda musuh, masih ingin menghadiahkan bumi kepada orang lain? Wahai keturunan Kuru, wahai raja—kini engkau tidak mampu mengurniakan kerajaan kepada sesiapa, dan tidak pula mampu merampasnya dengan kekuatan. Dalam keadaan demikian, bagaimana mungkin timbul dalam dirimu hasrat untuk ‘memberi tanah’?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira highlights an ethical-political principle: a ruler’s promises about territory must match actual authority and responsibility. When a king is overwhelmed and lacks control, offering land becomes empty rhetoric; dharma in governance requires truthfulness, capacity, and legitimacy rather than performative generosity.
In the Shalya Parva context of the war’s later phase, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a Kaurava ruler/prince, challenging the plausibility of his stated willingness to grant land. He argues that being besieged by enemies leaves no real power either to bestow territory or to seize it, so the sudden talk of ‘giving land’ is inconsistent with the situation.