Shloka 673
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
अथवा निहतोअस्माभिव्रज लोकाननुत्तमान् | या तो हमलोगोंको परास्त करके तुम्हीं इस पृथ्वीका शासन करो या हमारे हाथों मारे जाकर परम उत्तम लोकोंमें चले जाओ
athavā nihato 'smābhir vraja lokān anuttamān | yāto vā asmān parājitya tvam eva pṛthivīṁ śādhi ||
“否则，若被我们所杀，便往那无与伦比的上妙诸界而去；不然，就击败我们，由你亲自统治这大地。”尤提士提罗由此将相遇化作刹帝利之法（kṣatriya-dharma）中的严峻抉择：胜利意味着承担公正治国之责；在正义之战中战死，则被视为通往崇高境界之途。
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a dharmic binary typical of kṣatriya ethics: if one wins, one must accept the burden of righteous rule; if one loses and dies in battle, one attains exalted realms. It ties martial duty to moral accountability rather than mere conquest.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses his opponent in the midst of the Shalya Parva conflict, declaring that either the opponent should defeat the Pāṇḍavas and govern the earth, or, if killed by them, depart to the supreme worlds—underscoring the decisive stakes of the battle.