Mahabharata 9.31.71 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 31, Shloka 71
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
आशीविषैरविषिश्षापि जले चापि प्रवेशनै: । त्वया विनिकृता राजन् राज्यस्य हरणेन च
āśīviṣair aviṣiṣṭhāpi jale cāpi praveśanaiḥ | tvayā vinikṛtā rājan rājyasya haraṇena ca
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Ó Rei, tu me ofendeste—por meios tão mortais quanto serpentes venenosas, até mesmo forçando-me a entrar nas águas, e também pela usurpação do meu reino. Teus atos foram como veneno em seu efeito, despojando-me do que era meu por direito e lançando-me ao perigo.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames political dispossession and treacherous coercion as morally equivalent to lethal violence: taking a rightful kingdom through deceit is an ethical injury as grave as poisoning or forcing someone into deadly danger.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a king and accuses him of having wronged him through perilous, coercive acts and, above all, by seizing his kingdom—highlighting the injustice that helped drive the conflict.
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