Shloka 38

गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel

Devanagari script

दुर्योधन उवाच नैतच्चित्रं महाराज यद्धी: प्राणिनमाविशेत्‌ । न च प्राणभयाद्‌ भीतो व्यपयातो5स्मि भारत

Transliteration

duryodhana uvāca naitac citraṃ mahārāja yad dhīḥ prāṇinam āviśet | na ca prāṇabhayād bhīto vyapayāto ’smi bhārata ||

Translation

都律约陀那说道：“大王啊，恐惧侵入众生之心，并不稀奇；但噢，婆罗多的后裔，我并非因贪生怕死而退到此处。”

Word by Word

• दुर्योधनः: Duryodhana
• दुर्योधनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• एतत्: this
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• चित्रम्: wonderful/strange
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• यत्: that/which
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• धीः: mind/intellect
• धीः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• प्राणिनम्: a living being
• प्राणिनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आविशेत्: should enter/pervade
• Type: Verb
• Root: विश्
• Form: Optative, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• प्राणभयात्: from fear for life
• प्राणभयात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणभय
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• भीतः: afraid
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भी
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• व्यपयातः: having gone away/withdrawn
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि+अप+या
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Past active participle (kta)

• अस्मि: I am
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, 1st, Singular

• भारत: O Bharata (descendant of Bharata)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Mahārāja (addressed king)
• Bhārata (descendant of Bharata; addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Fear is natural to embodied beings, but Duryodhana frames his conduct as guided by honor rather than mere survival-instinct, asserting that retreat (if any) is not motivated by fear of death.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shalya Parva war setting, Duryodhana responds to an implied accusation of fleeing or losing nerve, insisting to the addressed king/elder that he has not come away due to fear for his life.