Shloka 18
Gadā-yuddhe Bhīma–Duryodhanayoḥ Tumulaḥ Saṃprahāraḥ
Mace-duel’s intense exchange
निहत्य गदया पापमिमं कुरुकुलाधमम् । अद्य कीर्तिमयीं मालां प्रतिमोक्ष्याम्यहं त्वयि,“मैं अपनी गदासे इस कुरुकुलाधम पापीको मारकर आज आपको कीर्तिमयी माला पहनाऊँगा
nihatyā gadayā pāpam imaṃ kurukulādhamam | adya kīrtimayīṃ mālāṃ pratimokṣyāmy ahaṃ tvayi |
สัญชัยกล่าวว่า: “ข้าจักใช้กระบองสังหารคนบาปผู้นี้—ผู้เป็นมลทินแห่งวงศ์กุรุ—แล้ววันนี้จักคล้องพวงมาลัยแห่งเกียรติยศให้แก่ท่าน.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior-code linkage between victory, public honor, and moral judgment: the enemy is branded ‘sinful’ and ‘a disgrace,’ and his defeat is envisioned as a gift of fame to one’s ally/leader—showing how ethical claims and the pursuit of kīrti (renown) motivate speech and action in the epic’s battlefield culture.
A combatant (reported by Sanjaya) declares an intention to kill an opponent with a mace and then ‘garland’ the addressed person with fame—i.e., to win a decisive victory and dedicate its glory to the one being spoken to, as a pledge of loyalty and a proclamation of triumph.