Shloka 18

गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel

Devanagari script

सुयोधन किमर्थो5यमारम्भो<प्सु कृतस्त्वया । सर्व क्षत्रं घातयित्वा स्वकुलं च विशाम्पते

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | suyodhana kim artho ’yam ārambho ’psu kṛtas tvayā | sarva-kṣatraṁ ghātayitvā sva-kulaṁ ca viśāṁ-pate ||

Translation

ஓ சுயோதன! நீரில் இந்த முயற்சியை நீ எதற்காகத் தொடங்கினாய்? ஓ மக்கள்தலைவா! எல்லா க்ஷத்திரியர்களையும், உன் குலத்தையும் அழிவுக்குள்ளாக்கிய பின், இப்போது ஏன் நீ நீரிடம் அடைக்கலம் புகுந்தாய்?

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'suyodhana': 'Duryodhana (epithet meaning ‘hard to conquer’)', 'kim arthaḥ': 'for what purpose? why?', 'ayam ārambhaḥ': 'this undertaking/attempt

• this course of action begun', 'apsu': 'in the waters', 'kṛtaḥ tvayā': 'done by you', 'sarva-kṣatram': 'all kṣatriyas

• the whole warrior class/host', 'ghātayitvā': 'having caused to be slain

• having brought about the killing', 'sva-kulam': 'one’s own family/lineage', 'ca': 'and', 'viśāṁ-pate': 'lord of the people (royal epithet)', 'prāṇānātha/prāṇa-rakṣā': 'desire to preserve life (implied by context: hiding to save oneself)', 'uttiṣṭha': 'rise! (imperative, implied by ‘Rise…’)', 'yudhyasva': 'fight! (imperative, implied by ‘fight with us’)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Suyodhana (Duryodhana)
• the lake/waters (jalāśaya/apsu)
• kṣatriyas (warrior class)
• Kuru lineage (implied by sva-kula)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler who has unleashed catastrophic violence cannot ethically retreat into self-preservation at the end; kṣatriya-dharma demands facing the consequences with courage and accountability rather than hiding after causing the ruin of others.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the near-total destruction of the warriors and his own side, Duryodhana is found concealed in a lake. Sañjaya challenges him, questioning the point of this act and urging him to rise and fight instead of attempting to save his life by hiding.