Shloka 66

उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ५४: दुर्योधनस्य धृतराष्ट्रं प्रति बलप्रशंसन-युक्तः आश्वासनवादः

Duryodhana’s Reassurance and Force-Praise to Dhritarashtra

Devanagari script

बलं त्रिगुणतो हीनं योध्यं प्राह बृहस्पति: । परेभ्यस्त्रिगुणा चेयं मम राजन्ननीकिनी,राजन! बृहस्पतिका कथन है कि शत्रुओंकी सेना अपनेसे एक तिहाई भी कम हो तो उसके साथ अवश्य युद्ध करना चाहिये। परंतु मेरी यह सेना तो शत्रुओंकी अपेक्षा चार अक्षौहिणी अधिक है, इसलिये यह अन्तर मेरी सम्पूर्ण सेनाकी एक तिहाईसे भी अधिक है

Transliteration

balaṁ triguṇato hīnaṁ yodhyaṁ prāha bṛhaspatiḥ | parebhyas triguṇā ceyaṁ mama rājan anīkinī ||

Translation

बलं त्रिगुणतो हीनं योध्यं प्राह बृहस्पतिः। परेभ्यस्त्रिगुणा चैषा मम राजन्ननीकिनी॥

Word by Word

• {'balam': 'strength

• military force', 'triguṇataḥ': 'threefold

• by a factor of three', 'hīnam': 'deficient

• less', 'yodhyam': 'to be fought

• fit/ought to be fought against', 'prāha': 'said

• declared', 'bṛhaspatiḥ': 'Bṛhaspati, preceptor of the gods

• authority on polity', 'parebhyaḥ': 'than the others

• than the enemies', 'triguṇā': 'threefold (greater)', 'ca': 'and

• moreover', 'iyam': 'this', 'mama': 'my', 'rājan': 'O King', 'anīkinī': 'army

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Bṛhaspati
• the King (addressed as rājan, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra in context)
• enemy army
• Duryodhana's army

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse appeals to nīti: engage in war when the balance of forces is decisively favorable (here framed as a ‘one-third’ threshold), showing how policy arguments can be used to justify aggression by emphasizing numerical advantage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana argues before the Kuru court that war is advisable because his side’s army is far stronger; he cites Bṛhaspati as an authority to strengthen his case and to press for battle rather than compromise.