Shloka 11
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Dialogue on Peace and the Refusal of Compromise
सत्यव्रते पुरुमित्रे भूरिश्रवसि वा पुन: । अन्येषु वा तावकेषु भारं कृत्वा समाह्दयम्,दुर्योधन बोला-पिताजी! मैंने आप, द्रोणाचार्य, अश्वत्थामा, संजय, भीष्म, काम्बोजनरेश, कृपाचार्य, बाह्नीक, सत्यव्रत, पुरुमित्र, भूरिश्रवा अथवा आपके अन्यान्य योद्धाओंपर सारा बोझ रखकर पाण्डवोंको युद्धके लिये आमन्त्रित नहीं किया है
satyavrate purumitre bhūriśravasi vā punaḥ | anyeṣu vā tāvakeṣu bhāraṃ kṛtvā samāhṛdayam |
Sinabi ni Duryodhana: “Maging si Satyavrata, si Purumitra, o si Bhūriśravas man—o alinmang mandirigma sa panig ninyo—hindi ko inilagay sa kanila ang buong pasanin at pinatigas ang aking loob upang hamunin ang mga Pāṇḍava sa digmaan.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between personal agency and reliance on others: Duryodhana insists his decision for war is not merely because he can ‘load the burden’ onto powerful allies, but because he has chosen it. The subtext critiques how resolve can be used to rationalize adharma when ambition and pride override reconciliation.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Duryodhana speaks defensively about his stance toward the Pāṇḍavas. He names notable Kaurava-side warriors and claims he did not challenge the Pāṇḍavas simply by depending on them to carry the war’s burden; rather, he portrays his position as a deliberate commitment.