Shloka 7
Udyoga Parva Adhyaya 62 — Duryodhana’s Claim of Victory and Vidura’s Allegories on Discord and Risk
यदा परिकरिष्यन्ति ऐणेयानिव तन््तुना । अतरित्रानिव जले बाहुभिमामका रणे
yadā parikariṣyanti aiṇeyān iva tantunā | ataritrān iva jale bāhubhir māmākā raṇe ||
यदा परिकरिष्यन्ति ऐणेयानिव तन्तुना । अतरित्रानिव जले बाहुभिर्मामका रणे ॥ तदा रथनागसमाकुलां मम महतीं चमूम् । पश्यन्तः पाण्डवाः सर्वे स च केशवो दर्पं त्यक्ष्यन्ति ॥
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how arrogance and reliance on brute force distort moral judgment: Duryodhana imagines that sheer military pressure will break the Pāṇḍavas and even humble Kṛṣṇa. In the epic’s ethical frame, such overconfidence (mada/ahaṅkāra) is a sign of adharma and a precursor to downfall.
In Udyoga Parva, as war becomes imminent, Duryodhana speaks with swagger about the coming battle. He uses vivid similes—fawns dragged by a hunter’s net and helpless boatmen overwhelmed by water—to claim that his forces will overpower the Pāṇḍavas, forcing them (and Kṛṣṇa) to abandon their pride when confronted with his massive army.