Shloka 17
Adhyāya 8: Saṃprahāra-varṇana and Bhīma–Kṣemadhūrti Dvipa-Yuddha
Combat Description and Elephant Duel
इति यः सततं मन्दमवोचल्लो भमोहितम् । दुर्योधनमवाचीनं राज्यकामुकमातुरम्
iti yaḥ satataṃ mandam avocallobhamohitam | duryodhanam avācīnaṃ rājyakāmukam āturam ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: Sa gayon ay paulit-ulit niyang kinakausap si Duryodhana—mapurol ang isip, nililinlang ng kasakiman, nalugmok sa kabutihang-asal, uhaw sa kaharian at pinahihirapan ng pangamba—na nakaupo nang nakayuko ang mukha, at sinasabi nang muli’t muli: “Ako lamang, sa larangan ng digmaan, ang magpapabagsak nang sabay mula sa kanilang makalangit na karwahe sa dalawang di-matatalong bayani—si Kṛṣṇa at si Arjuna—na may hawak na Śārṅga at Gāṇḍīva.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked desire for power, combined with greed and delusion, leads to moral decline and reckless overconfidence. The verse frames Duryodhana’s mindset as ethically degraded (avācīna) and psychologically agitated (ātura), showing how inner disorder distorts judgment about dharma and reality.
Vaiśaṃpāyana reports that someone repeatedly spoke to Duryodhana, who sat dejected and anxious for the kingdom. The speaker boasts that he alone will kill both Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna together on the battlefield, even from their divine chariot—emphasizing the extremity of the claim against two famed, ‘unconquered’ warriors.