Shloka 53

Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa

Resolve for the Mace Duel

Devanagari script

न्यस्तवर्मा विशेषेण श्रान्तश्नाप्सु परिप्लुत: । भृशं विक्षतगात्रश्न हतवाहनसैनिक:

Transliteration

nyastavarmā viśeṣeṇa śrāntaḥ snāpsu pariplutaḥ | bhṛśaṁ vikṣatagātraś ca hata-vāhana-sainikaḥ ||

Translation

Duryodhana nói: “Tuyệt đối không thích đáng—nhất là khi ép giao chiến theo lối hợp đoàn—đối với người đã cởi bỏ giáp trụ, kiệt sức và đang ngâm mình dưới nước để hồi sức, tay chân thân thể bị thương tích nặng nề, lại còn mất cả chiến xa (hay vật cưỡi) cùng binh sĩ đã bị giết.”

Word by Word

• {'nyasta-varmā': 'one who has put down/removed his armour', 'viśeṣeṇa': 'especially

• in particular', 'śrāntaḥ': 'weary

• exhausted', 'snāpsu (snā-apsu)': 'in bathing waters

• in water for bathing/resting', 'pariplutaḥ': 'immersed

• drenched', 'bhṛśam': 'excessively

• severely', 'vikṣata-gātraḥ': 'one whose limbs/body are wounded', 'hata': 'slain

• killed', 'vāhana': 'vehicle

• chariot (contextually the conveyance in battle)', 'sainikaḥ': 'soldiers

• attendants/forces', 'yuddha': 'battle

• combat (implied by context)', 'na yuktam': 'not proper

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• armour (varman)
• water (āpas)
• vehicle/mount/chariot (vāhana)
• soldiers (sainika)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts a principle of righteous warfare: it is unethical to compel a disadvantaged opponent—unarmoured, exhausted, wounded, and bereft of support—into battle, particularly by collective pressure. It frames restraint and fairness as part of dharma even amid war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana argues about propriety in combat, describing a warrior who has removed armour and is resting in water, badly injured and without his conveyance and troops. He maintains that forcing such a person to fight—especially by a group—is not right, invoking norms of battlefield conduct.