गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
त्वं चाश्वसिहि कौन्तेय ये चाप्यनुगतास्तव । अहमुत्थाय व: सर्वान् प्रतियोत्स्यामि संयुगे
tvaṃ cāśvasihi kaunteya ye cāpy anugatās tava | aham utthāya vaḥ sarvān pratiyotsyāmi saṃyuge ||
Duryodhana disse: “Tu também, ó filho de Kuntī, descansa por um breve momento — e que os teus acompanhantes recuperem o fôlego. Depois eu me erguerei e, no campo de batalha, enfrentarei a todos vós.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
The verse highlights the warrior-code posture of granting a moment’s respite before renewed combat, while also revealing Duryodhana’s pride and determination to confront multiple opponents—an ethical tension between courtesy in battle and the ego-driven urge to prove supremacy.
In the midst of the Kurukṣetra fighting, Duryodhana addresses a Pāṇḍava as “Kaunteya,” telling him and his accompanying followers to rest briefly; he then declares that he will rise and fight them all in the coming engagement.