Shloka 53

Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa

Resolve for the Mace Duel

Devanagari script

न्यस्तवर्मा विशेषेण श्रान्तश्नाप्सु परिप्लुत: । भृशं विक्षतगात्रश्न हतवाहनसैनिक:,विशेषतः उस वीरको जिसने अपना कवच उतार दिया हो, जो थककर जलमें गोता लगाकर विश्राम कर रहा हो, जिसके सारे अंग अत्यन्त घायल हो गये हों तथा जिसके वाहन और सैनिक मार डाले गये हों, किसी समूहके साथ युद्धके लिये बाध्य करना कदापि उचित नहीं है

Transliteration

nyastavarmā viśeṣeṇa śrāntaḥ snāpsu pariplutaḥ | bhṛśaṁ vikṣatagātraś ca hata-vāhana-sainikaḥ ||

Translation

Duryodhana berkata: “Sama sekali tidak wajar—lebih-lebih lagi jika dipaksa bertempur sebagai satu kumpulan—terhadap seseorang yang telah menanggalkan zirahnya, yang keletihan dan sedang menyelam/berendam di air untuk memulihkan diri, yang anggota tubuhnya luka parah, dan yang kereta perangnya (atau tunggangannya) serta para askarnya telah dibunuh.”

Word by Word

• {'nyasta-varmā': 'one who has put down/removed his armour', 'viśeṣeṇa': 'especially

• in particular', 'śrāntaḥ': 'weary

• exhausted', 'snāpsu (snā-apsu)': 'in bathing waters

• in water for bathing/resting', 'pariplutaḥ': 'immersed

• drenched', 'bhṛśam': 'excessively

• severely', 'vikṣata-gātraḥ': 'one whose limbs/body are wounded', 'hata': 'slain

• killed', 'vāhana': 'vehicle

• chariot (contextually the conveyance in battle)', 'sainikaḥ': 'soldiers

• attendants/forces', 'yuddha': 'battle

• combat (implied by context)', 'na yuktam': 'not proper

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• armour (varman)
• water (āpas)
• vehicle/mount/chariot (vāhana)
• soldiers (sainika)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts a principle of righteous warfare: it is unethical to compel a disadvantaged opponent—unarmoured, exhausted, wounded, and bereft of support—into battle, particularly by collective pressure. It frames restraint and fairness as part of dharma even amid war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana argues about propriety in combat, describing a warrior who has removed armour and is resting in water, badly injured and without his conveyance and troops. He maintains that forcing such a person to fight—especially by a group—is not right, invoking norms of battlefield conduct.