Shloka 73
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
उत्तिषवीत्तिष्ठ युध्यस्व युद्धे श्रेयो भविष्यति । याद है न
uttiṣṭha vīra tiṣṭha yudhyasva yuddhe śreyo bhaviṣyati |
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Bangkitlah, pahlawan—berdirilah dan bertarung. Dalam peperangan, itulah yang lebih baik bagimu. Masihkah engkau ingat, engkau pernah berusaha bersungguh-sungguh untuk membakar kami hidup-hidup? Engkau menyuruh Bhīma digigit ular berbisa, memberinya racun lalu mencampakkannya ke dalam air; engkau merampas kerajaan kami dan menjerat kami dalam jaring tipu dayamu; engkau melontarkan kata-kata keji kepada Draupadī dan menyeretnya dengan rambut. Wahai pendosa! Atas sebab-sebab ini, nyawamu seakan telah musnah. Bangkitlah, bangkitlah—bertarunglah; hanya dengan itu kesejahteraanmu akan terlayani.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, the text frames action through dharma: a wrongdoer must face consequences, and for a kṣatriya the honorable course is to stand and fight rather than evade responsibility. The speech links past adharma (deceit, attempted murder, humiliation of Draupadī) to inevitable retribution, urging a final, duty-bound confrontation.
On the battlefield in Śalya Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses his enemy (implicitly Duryodhana), recounting earlier crimes against the Pāṇḍavas—attempted burning, poisoning Bhīma, usurping the kingdom, and insulting Draupadī—and challenges him to rise and fight, declaring that battle is now his only ‘better’ path.