Shloka 21
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
सर्वे त्वां शूर इत्येवं जना जल्पन्ति संसदि | व्यर्थ तद् भवतो मन्ये शौर्य सलिलशायिन:,“सभामें सब लोग तुम्हें शूरवीर कहा करते हैं। जब तुम भयभीत होकर पानीमें सो रहे हो, तब तुम्हारे उस तथाकथित शौर्यको मैं व्यर्थ समझता हूँ
sarve tvāṃ śūra ityevaṃ janā jalpanti saṃsadi | vyartha tad bhavato manye śaurya salilaśāyinaḥ ||
Sanjaya nói: “Trong hội đường, ai nấy đều gọi ngài là ‘dũng sĩ’—họ vẫn nói thế. Nhưng ta cho rằng thứ ‘dũng cảm’ ấy là vô nghĩa, khi ngài vì sợ hãi mà nằm vùi trong nước.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts public reputation with actual conduct: martial honor (śaurya) is judged by courageous action, not by what people say in an assembly. Fear-driven withdrawal makes proclaimed heroism ethically hollow, especially under kṣatriya standards of duty.
Sañjaya delivers a sharp rebuke: although the court praises someone as a ‘hero,’ he declares that such praise is worthless because the person is hiding—described as lying asleep in water out of fear—thereby exposing the gap between acclaim and reality.