Shloka 70

गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel

Devanagari script

जीवयेयमहं काम॑ न तु त्वं जीवितुं क्षम: । दुर्मते! इस समय तुम्हारा जीवन मेरे हाथपमें है। मैं इच्छानुसार तुम्हें जीवनदान दे सकता हूँ; परंतु तुम स्वेच्छापूर्वक जीवित रहनेमें समर्थ नहीं हो || ६९ ई ।।

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | jīveyam ahaṃ kāmaṃ na tu tvaṃ jīvituṃ kṣamaḥ | durmate! idānīṃ tava jīvitaṃ mama hastagataṃ; aham icchānusāreṇa tvāṃ jīvadānaṃ dātuṃ śaknomi, na tu tvaṃ svacchandayā jīvituṃ samarthaḥ | dahane hi kṛto yatnas tvayāsmāsu viśeṣataḥ ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Aku boleh hidup jika aku menghendaki; tetapi engkau tidak mampu untuk hidup. Wahai yang berhati jahat! Pada saat ini nyawamu berada dalam tanganku. Jika aku mahu, aku boleh mengurniakan engkau hayat; namun engkau tidak mampu memelihara nyawamu dengan kehendakmu sendiri. Kerana sesungguhnya engkau telah berusaha dengan sengaja—terutama terhadap kami—untuk membawa kebinasaan kami.”

Word by Word

• {'jīveyam': 'I may live

• I could remain alive', 'ahaṃ': 'I', 'kāmaṃ': 'as I wish

• if I desire', 'na tu': 'but not

• however not', 'tvaṃ': 'you', 'jīvituṃ': 'to live', 'kṣamaḥ': 'able

• competent', 'durmate': 'O wicked-minded one

• O fool of evil intent', 'idānīm': 'now

• at this moment', 'jīvitam': 'life', 'mama': 'my', 'hasta-gatam': 'come into (my) hand

• under (my) control', 'icchā-anusāreṇa': 'according to (my) wish

• as I choose', 'jīva-dānam': 'gift of life

• sparing someone', 'dātuṃ śaknomi': 'I am able to give', 'svacchandayā': 'by one’s own will

• independently', 'samarthaḥ': 'capable

• able', 'dahane': 'in burning

• in causing destruction (lit. burning)', 'hi': 'indeed

• for', 'kṛtaḥ': 'done

• made', 'yatnaḥ': 'effort

• attempt', 'tvayā': 'by you', 'asmāsu': 'against us

• toward us', 'viśeṣataḥ': 'especially

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts true agency with helplessness: moral and martial power can place an opponent’s life under one’s control, yet dharma demands awareness of responsibility. Yudhiṣṭhira frames sparing or killing not as the enemy’s choice but as the victor’s ethical burden, while also recalling the enemy’s prior intent to destroy.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shalya Parva battle context, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses an adversary he has overpowered, declaring that the opponent’s survival depends on Yudhiṣṭhira’s decision. He emphasizes that the foe had earlier made special efforts to bring ruin upon the Pāṇḍavas, thereby justifying stern judgment even while acknowledging the possibility of granting life.