Mahabharata 9.32.3 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 32, Shloka 3
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
यस्यातपत्रच्छायापि स्वका भानोस्तथा प्रभा । खेदायैवाभिमानित्वात् सहेत् सैवं कथं गिर:
yasyātapatracchāyāpi svakā bhānostathā prabhā | khedāyaivābhimānitvāt sahet saivaṁ kathaṁ giraḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Với kẻ mà ngay cả bóng chiếc lọng vương giả của mình cũng rực sáng như ánh mặt trời—thế mà vì kiêu mạn lại biến vinh quang ấy thành nguồn khổ não—làm sao người như vậy có thể chịu nổi những lời như thế?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Outer splendour and status (symbolized by the royal parasol and sunlike radiance) do not guarantee inner strength; pride (abhimāna) makes a person fragile, turning even greatness into a source of suffering and making harsh words harder to bear.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on a highly exalted person—one marked by royal brilliance—yet whose pride causes distress; he questions how such a proud figure could tolerate cutting or challenging speech in the tense context of the war narrative.
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