Shloka 36
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
तथासौ वाक्प्रतोदेन तुद्यमान: पुनः पुनः । वचो न ममृषे राजन्नुत्तमाश्वचः कशामिव
tathāsau vāk-pratodena tudyamānaḥ punaḥ punaḥ | vaco na mamṛṣe rājann uttamāśvaḥ kaśām iva ||
Sañjaya thưa: Tâu Đại vương, bị roi lời nói quất đi quất lại, hắn không thể chịu nổi lời ấy—như con tuấn mã không chịu nổi ngọn roi.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Words can function as a moral goad: truthful rebuke exposes inner weakness—especially pride—and may provoke an unsteady mind more than physical pain. The verse cautions that inability to bear corrective speech is a sign of ethical fragility and can push one toward rash, harmful choices.
Sañjaya narrates to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, repeatedly stung by Yudhiṣṭhira’s pointed words, loses patience and cannot tolerate the verbal pressure—likened to a high-bred horse that cannot bear the whip.