Shloka 53
Adhyāya 33: Rauhiṇeya (Balarāma) is welcomed and takes his seat to witness the gadā-engagement
साहसं कृतवांस्त्वं तु हानुक्रोशान्नपोत्तम । 'भरतभूषण! अब हमलोग अपना कार्य कैसे सिद्ध कर सकते हैं? नृपश्रेष्ठी आपने दयावश यह दु:साहसपूर्ण कार्य कर डाला है,कि न पश्यसि मां पाप गदायुद्धे व्यवस्थितम् । हिमवच्छिखराकारां प्रगृह् महतीं गदाम् पापी! क्या तू देखता नहीं कि मैं हिमालयके शिखरकी भाँति विशाल गदा हाथमें लेकर युद्धके लिये खड़ा हूँ
sāhasaṃ kṛtavāṃs tvaṃ tu hānukrośān nṛpottama | na paśyasi māṃ pāpa gadāyuddhe vyavasthitam | himavacchikharākārāṃ praghṛhya mahatīṃ gadām ||
三阇耶说道：“诸王之最啊，你因不合时宜的怜悯而行事鲁莽。如今我们如何成就所图？罪人哪，你难道看不见我已为棍战而立——手执巨大的铁棍，巍然如喜马拉雅之峰？”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between compassion and duty in a war setting: pity that disrupts rightful strategy or agreed combat can become ‘misplaced compassion’ and lead to harmful consequences. It also underscores the warrior ethic of readiness and accountability in battle.
Sanjaya reports a heated rebuke: someone addresses a king as having committed a reckless act out of pity, and then points to his own readiness for a mace-duel—standing armed with a huge mace likened to a Himalayan peak—implying that the king’s action has jeopardized their objective in the ongoing conflict.