यद्य् अहं भवतोस् त्याज्यो न वाच्यो ऽस्मि तदैव हि ॥
आवां पाण्डुसुतान् संख्ये जेष्याव इति मानदौ ॥
तदैवाहं वचः श्रुत्वा भवद्भ्याम् अनुसंमतम् ॥
कृतवान् पाण्डवैः सार्धं वैरं योधविनाशनम् ॥
यदि नाहं परित्याज्यो भवद्भ्यां पुरुषर्षभौ ॥
युध्येताम् अनुरूपेण विक्रमेण सुविक्रमौ ॥
वाक्प्रतोदेन तौ वीरौ प्रणुन्नौ तनयेन ते ॥
प्रावर्तयेतां तौ युद्धं घट्टिताव् इव पन्नगौ ॥
yady ahaṃ bhavatos tyājyo na vācyo 'smi tadaiva hi ||
āvāṃ pāṇḍusutān saṃkhye jeṣyāva iti mānadau ||
tadaivāhaṃ vacaḥ śrutvā bhavadbhyām anusaṃmatam ||
kṛtavān pāṇḍavaiḥ sārdhaṃ vairaṃ yodhavināśanam ||
yadi nāhaṃ parityājyo bhavadbhyāṃ puruṣarṣabhau ||
yudhyetām anurūpeṇa vikrameṇa suvikramau ||
vākpratodena tau vīrau praṇunnau tanayena te ||
prāvartayetāṃ tau yuddhaṃ ghaṭṭitāv iva pannagau ||
"If I am forsaken by you two, I should have been told of it then -- 'We two sons of Pandu shall conquer in battle,' O bestowers of honor. Hearing that word then, approved by you both, I waged with the Pandavas an enmity that destroys warriors. If I am not forsaken by you two, O bulls among men, fight as befits you, with valor, O most valiant ones." Stung by the goad of his words, those two heroes, urged on by your son, began the battle, like two disturbed serpents.
677e11d43b75 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:49:34 PM UTC
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Duryodhana stings his teacher and his friend with the "goad of words," and they, like startled serpents, hurl themselves into battle. It is telling that the reproach, unjust as it is, still spurs them to valor -- wounded honor stings sharper than any order. The verse teaches that a word can wound and drive harder than a whip; but it is bitter when it forces worthy men to serve an unjust cause -- and valor roused by reproach flows into a channel of another's guilt.