Shloka 53
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
तथाप्येन॑ ह्वतं युद्धे लोका द्रक्ष्यन्ति माधव । “माधव! यद्यपि यह छल-कपटकी विद्यामें बड़ा चतुर है
tathāpy enaṁ hṛtaṁ yuddhe lokā drakṣyanti mādhava | “mādhava! yadyapi ayaṁ chala-kapaṭa-vidyāyāṁ baḍā caturaḥ, tathāpi kapaṭaṁ kṛtvā mama hastād jīvitaṁ na mucyate | yadi samarāṅgaṇe sākṣād vajradhārī indraḥ asya sahāyaḥ syāt, tathāpi yuddhe enaṁ sarve lokā mṛtam eva drakṣyanti” | gaccha tvaṁ bhuṅkṣva rājendra pṛthivīṁ nihatēśvarām | hata-yodhāṁ naṣṭa-ratnāṁ kṣīṇa-vṛttyā yathā-sukham ||
Disse Sañjaya: “Ainda assim, ó Mādhava, as pessoas o verão abatido em batalha. ‘Mādhava! Embora seja extremamente hábil nas artes do engano e da astúcia, não escapará vivo de minhas mãos recorrendo à fraude. Mesmo que o próprio Indra, o portador do raio, o ajudasse no campo de guerra, ainda assim todos os homens o verão morto no combate.’ ‘Vai então, ó rei; desfruta da terra cujo senhor foi destruído—seus guerreiros mortos e seus tesouros perdidos—conforme teus meios agora diminuídos, o melhor que puderes.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts reliance on deceit with the inevitability of moral and martial consequence: cleverness in trickery cannot ultimately avert the results of one’s actions in a dharmic war. It also underscores the grim ethical reality of kingship after devastation—rule becomes the management of loss, not triumph.
Sañjaya reports a warrior’s fierce declaration to Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava): even if the opponent is skilled in deception and even if Indra helps him, he will still be seen slain. The speech then turns to the aftermath of war, telling a king to go and ‘enjoy’ (i.e., rule) an earth left masterless, with warriors dead and treasures destroyed, living within reduced means.