Shloka 653
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
को हि मूढो व्यवस्यथेत शत्रोर्दातुं वसुन्धराम् । पहले तो तुम सूईकी नोक बराबर भी भूमि नहीं छोड़ रहे थे
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: ko hi mūḍho vyavasyet śatror dātuṁ vasundharām | pūrvaṁ tu tvaṁ sūcī-nokā-samām api bhūmiṁ na muñcasi, idānīṁ sarvāṁ pṛthivīṁ kathaṁ tyajasi? evaṁ aiśvaryaṁ prāpya imāṁ vasudhāṁ śāsitvā kaḥ mūḍhaḥ śatroḥ haste svāṁ bhūmiṁ dātum icchet?
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Siapakah yang, dalam kebingungan, akan bertekad menyerahkan bumi kepada musuh? Dahulu engkau tidak mahu mengalah walau tanah sebesar hujung jarum; bagaimana kini engkau berbicara hendak meninggalkan seluruh dunia? Setelah memperoleh kedaulatan dan memerintah bumi ini, bodoh manakah yang mahu meletakkan kerajaannya sendiri ke dalam tangan lawan?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights rājadharma and practical ethics: a ruler should not, out of confusion or weakness, surrender rightful sovereignty to an enemy—especially after having refused even minimal concessions earlier. It critiques inconsistency and warns that power and territory are responsibilities to be protected for the realm’s stability.
Yudhiṣṭhira challenges an opponent’s (or interlocutor’s) sudden claim of giving up the whole earth. He points out the earlier refusal to yield even a tiny portion of land and questions the logic and motive behind now proposing total relinquishment to an enemy.