Shloka 45
Draupadī-apaharaṇa-saṃdeśaḥ
Report of Draupadī’s Abduction and the Pāṇḍavas’ Pursuit
दैत्यानां तद् वच: श्रुत्वा हृदि कृत्वा स्थिरां मतिम् ततो मनुजशार्दूलो योजयामास वाहिनीम्,दैत्योंके पूर्वोिक्त कथनको याद करके नरश्रेष्ठ दुर्योधनने पाण्डवोंसे युद्ध करनेका पक्का विचार कर लिया और फिर हस्तिनापुर जानेके लिये रथ, हाथी, घोड़े और पैदल सैनिकोंसे युक्त अपनी चतुरंगिणी सेनाको तैयार होनेकी आज्ञा दी। राजन्! वह विशाल वाहिनी गंगाके प्रवाहके समान चलने लगी
daitayānāṁ tad vacaḥ śrutvā hṛdi kṛtvā sthirāṁ matim | tato manujaśārdūlo yojayāmāsa vāhinīm ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: Ao ouvir as palavras dos Daityas e firmar no coração uma decisão inabalável, aquele tigre entre os homens pôs-se a organizar o seu exército. Recordando o que fora dito antes, Duryodhana tomou a determinação de guerrear contra os Pāṇḍavas e ordenou que se aprontasse a sua hoste de quatro armas—carros, elefantes, cavalos e infantaria—para a marcha rumo a Hastināpura. Ó rei, aquela vasta força começou a mover-se como a corrente do Gaṅgā: irresistível, avolumada pela intenção.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how advice, once accepted inwardly as a ‘firm resolve’ (sthirā mati), becomes decisive action. Ethically, it warns that determination is morally neutral: it can serve dharma when guided by right counsel, but it can also accelerate adharma when rooted in hostility—here, the resolve culminates in organizing war.
After hearing the Daityas’ words, Duryodhana fixes his decision to fight the Pāṇḍavas and orders his fourfold army to be readied for the journey toward Hastināpura. The host begins to move in a powerful, continuous surge likened to the current of the Gaṅgā.