तेषु प्रकाल्यमानेषु दस्यून् दुःशासनो ऽब्रवीत् ॥
निवर्तध्वम् अधर्मज्ञा युध्यध्वं किं सृतेन वः ॥
तांश् चापि सर्वान् संप्रेक्ष्य पुत्रो दुःशासनस् तव ॥
पाषाणयोधिनः शूरान् पार्वतीयान् अचोदयत् ॥
अश्मयुद्धेषु कुशला नैतज् जानाति सात्यकिः ॥
अश्मयुद्धम् अजानन्तं घ्नतैनं युद्धकामुकम् ॥
तथैव कुरवः सर्वे नाश्मयुद्धविशारदाः ॥
अभिद्रवत मा भैष्ट न वः प्राप्स्यति सात्यकिः ॥
teṣu prakālyamāneṣu dasyūn duḥśāsano 'bravīt ||
nivartadhvam adharmajñā yudhyadhvaṃ kiṃ sṛtena vaḥ ||
tāṃś cāpi sarvān saṃprekṣya putro duḥśāsanas tava ||
pāṣāṇayodhinaḥ śūrān pārvatīyān acodayat ||
aśmayuddheṣu kuśalā naitaj jānāti sātyakiḥ ||
aśmayuddham ajānantaṃ ghnatainaṃ yuddhakāmukam ||
tathaiva kuravaḥ sarve nāśmayuddhaviśāradāḥ ||
abhidravata mā bhaiṣṭa na vaḥ prāpsyati sātyakiḥ ||
"'Turn back, you strangers to righteousness — fight, what good is your flight?' The heroic stone-fighters, the mountaineers, [Duhshasana] urged on: 'You who are skilled in stone-fighting — this Satyaki knows nothing of it; strike him down, unversed in stone-fighting, eager as he is for battle. Likewise all the Kurus are unskilled in stone-fighting; charge, do not fear, Satyaki will not overtake you.'"
c4033aec1f04 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:08:02 PM UTC
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Duhshasana seeks his enemy's weak point — "aśmayuddham ajānantam", the stone-craft unfamiliar to Satyaki. Cunning hopes to prevail where valor cannot. It is telling that the unrighteous relies on a stratagem rather than a righteous superiority. The verse teaches that untruth seeks a loophole rather than an honest advantage: where valor cannot win, an unusual trick is attempted; but, as will be seen, even an unfamiliar ruse does not overcome one who keeps his presence of mind.