Shloka 53
Adhyāya 33: Rauhiṇeya (Balarāma) is welcomed and takes his seat to witness the gadā-engagement
साहसं कृतवांस्त्वं तु हानुक्रोशान्नपोत्तम । 'भरतभूषण! अब हमलोग अपना कार्य कैसे सिद्ध कर सकते हैं? नृपश्रेष्ठी आपने दयावश यह दु:साहसपूर्ण कार्य कर डाला है
sāhasaṃ kṛtavāṃs tvaṃ tu hānukrośān nṛpottama | na paśyasi māṃ pāpa gadāyuddhe vyavasthitam | himavacchikharākārāṃ praghṛhya mahatīṃ gadām ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai raja yang terbaik, engkau telah bertindak melulu, kerana belas kasihan yang tersalah tempat. Bagaimana kini kita hendak menyempurnakan tujuan kita? Tidakkah engkau melihat aku, wahai pendosa, berdiri siap untuk pertarungan gada—menggenggam gada yang besar, menjulang seperti puncak Himalaya?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between compassion and duty in a war setting: pity that disrupts rightful strategy or agreed combat can become ‘misplaced compassion’ and lead to harmful consequences. It also underscores the warrior ethic of readiness and accountability in battle.
Sanjaya reports a heated rebuke: someone addresses a king as having committed a reckless act out of pity, and then points to his own readiness for a mace-duel—standing armed with a huge mace likened to a Himalayan peak—implying that the king’s action has jeopardized their objective in the ongoing conflict.