Gadayuddha Parva — The battle of words between Yudi ishthira and Duryodhana

Dhritarashtra said "Thus remonstrated with by his enemy, how, indeed, did that scorcher of enemies, my heroic and royal son, who was angry by nature, then act.

He had never before brooked such a chastisement. He had before been treated by all respectfully like a king.

He who could not formerly stand in the shade of an umbrella, thinking he had taken another's shelter-he who could not endure the very effulgence of the Sun, on account of his pride, how could he brooke these words of his enemies?

You have with your own eyes, O Sanjaya, seen the whole earth, with even her Mlecchas and nomad tribes, depend upon his grace.

Chastised there by the sons of Pandu, while lying concealed in such a solitary place after having been deprived of his followers and attendants, alas, how did he answer the Pandavas upon hearing such bitter and departed rebukes from his victorious enemies. Tell me everything, O Sanjaya, about it.'

Sanjaya continued Thus chastised, O king, by Yudhishthira and his brothers, your royal son lying within the lake, O king of kings, heard those bitter words and became very wretched. Sighing heavily the king moved his arms again and again and making up his mind to fight, thus answered from within the lake, the royal son of Pandu.

Duryodhana said O Parthas, all of you have friends cars and animals. I, however, am alone, today without a car and without an animal.

Alone as I am and shorn of weapons, how can I dare fight on foot, against numberless foes all well-armed and possessed of cars.

Do you, however, O Yudhishthira, fight me one at a time. It is not proper that one should in battle fight with many especially when that one is without armour, is fatigued, stricken with calamity, greatly wounded and shorn of both animals and troops.

I do not cherish the least fear, O king, of either you or Vrikodara, the son of Pritha or Phalguna or Vasudeva or all the Panchalas or the twins or Yuyudhana or all the warriors you have. Standing in battle alone I shall resist all of you.

The fame, O king, of all righteous men depends on righteousness. I say all this to you who are both righteous and illustrious.

Rising I shall fight all of you in battle Like the year that one by one meets with all the seasons, I shall meet with all of you in fight.

Wait, you Pandavas. Like the sun destroying by his effulgence the light of all the stars at dawn, I shall to day, though weaponless and carless, kill all of you possessed of cars and horses.

Today I shall release myself from the debt I woe to the many illustrious Kshatriyas, to Valhika and Drona and Bhishma and the great Karna, to the heroic Jayadratha and Bhagadatta, to Shalya the ruler of the Madras and Bhurishravas, to my sons, O best of Bharata's race and Shakuni the son of Subala, to all my friends and well-wishers and relatives.

Today I shall release myself from that debt by killing you with your brothers. Having said these words, he stopped.

Yudhishthira said By good luck, O Suyodhana, you are conversant with the duties of a Kshatriya. By good luck, O mighty-armed heroe, your heart is bent on a battle.

By good luck, you are a hero, O you of Kuru's race and by good luck, you are conversant with battle, since, alone, you wish to give all of us a battle.

Fight any one of us taking whatever weapon you like. All of us will fight.

I grant you also, O hero, this other wish of yours viz., that if you kill any one of us, you shall then become king. Otherwise, killed by us, go to heaven.

Duryodhana said Brave as you are, if you allow me the option of fighting only one of you, this mace, that I have in my hand, is the weapon that I select.

Let any of you, who thinks that he is a match for me, come forward and fight with me on foot, arined with mace.

Many wonderful single combats have taken place on cars. Let this one great and wonderful encounter with the mace take place today.

Men wish to change weapons in battle. Let the mode of fight be changed today, with your permission.

O you of great arms, I shall, with my mace, defeat you today with all your younger brothers, as also all the Panchalas and the Srinjayas and all the other troops you still possess. I do not entertain the least fear, O Yudhishthira, of even Shakra himself.

Yudhishthira said Rise, rise, O son of Gandhari and fight me, O Suyodhana. Alone as you are fight us, meeting one at a time, O you of great might, armed with your mace.

Be a man, O son of Gandhari and fight carefully. Today you shall have to lose your life even if Indra becomes your ally. O you

Sanjaya continued That foremost of men, your son, could not brook those words of Yudhishthira. He sighed heavily from within the water like a huge snake from with its hole.

Struck repeatedly with such wordy goads, he could not bear at all like a horse of high breed that cannot bear the strokes of a whip.

Agitating the waters with great force that brave warrior rose like a prince of elephants from within the lake, sighing heavily in rage and armed with his heavy and strong mace of adamant decked with gold.

Cutting through the solidified waters your son rose carrying his mace made of iron at his shoulders, like the sun himself consuming everything with his rays.

Highly powerful your intelligent son began to handle his heavy mace made of iron and equipt with a sling.

Seeing him with the mace and resembling a mountain crest or the trident wielding Rudra himself casting angry looks on living beings they marked that Bharata chief to shed a lustre around like the scorching sun himself in the sky. Indeed, all creatures then regarded that mighty-armed chastiser of foes, as he stood with his mace on his shoulders after rising from the waters, to look like the Death himself armed with his rod.

Indeed, all the Panchalas then saw your royal son, resemble thunder-wielding Indra or the trident-wielding Hara.

Seeing him, however, rise from within the lake, all the Panchalas and the Pandavas began to rejoice and seize each others hands.

Your son Duryodhana considered that action of the onlookers to be an insult to nim. Rolling his eyes in anger and as if consuming the Pandavas with his looks and contracting his brow into three furrows and repeatedly biting his nether lip, he addressed the Pandavas with Keshava in their midst, saying-

Duryodhana said "O you Pandavas, you shall have to bear the consequences of these insults! Killed by me today, you shall, with the Panchalas, have to go to the abode of Yama."

Sanjaya continued Rising from the water, your son Duryodhana stood there, with his mace and with limbs covered with blood.

Covered with blood and wet with water, his body resembled a mountain discharging water from within it.

As he stood with his mace, the Pandavas took him for the angry son of Surya himself armed with his bludgeon called Kinkara.

With voice deep as the mutterings of the clouds or of a bull roaring in joy, the highly powerful Duryodhana then, armed with his mace, asked the Parthas for battle.

Duryodhana said You will have, O Yudhishthira, to meet me one at a time. It is not meet that one hero should fight with many at the same time, especially when he is divested of armour, worn out with fatigue, covered with water, greatly wounded and without cars, animals and troops.

I shall forsooth fight all of you. You will act as a judge, as you have the necessary qualifications for judging the propriety and impropriety of everything.

Yudhishthira said How is it, O Duryodhana, that you had not this knowledge when many great car-warriors, in a body, killed Abhimanyu in battle.

This duties of a Kshatriya are high, cruel, shorn of all considerations and feelings of pity. Otherwise, how could you kill Abhimanyu under those circumstances.

All of you were acquainted with the rules of fair fight. All of you were heroes. All of you were ready to sacrifice your lives in battle. The great aim for those that fight righteously is the attainment of the regions of Shakra.

If this be your duty, that one should not be killed by many, why is it then that Abhimanyu was killed by many, acting under your advice?

In difficulty, every one forgets considerations of virtue. They then see the portals of the other world as being closed.

Put on armour, O hero and blind your locks. Take everything else, O Bharata, which your require.

O hero, I however grant you an additional, favour, namely, if you can slay him amongst the five Pandavas with whom you wish to fight, you shall then be the king Otherwise, killed by him, you will proceed to heaven. Save your life, O hero, tell us what boon we may give you.

Sanjaya continued Then your son, O king, put on armour made of gold and a beautiful head-gear adorned with pure gold.

Clad in bright armour of gold, he put on that head-gear. Indeed, O king, your son then looked resplendent like a golden summit.

Clad in amour, armed with mace and accoutered with other equipments your son Duryodhana then, O king, standing on the field of battle, addressed all the Pandavas, saying-"Amongst you five brothers let any one fight me, armed with mace. As regards myself, I ain willing to fight either Sahadeva or Bhima or Nakula or Phalguna or you today, O best of Bharata's race. If you give me battle, I will fight any one amongst you and will surely gain the victory on the field.

Today I will terminate these hostilities, with the help, O foremost of men, of my mace wrapped in a cloth of gold.

I think there is none who can equal me in an encounter with the mace. With my mace I shall kill all of you one after another.

Amongst all of you there is no one who is able to fight fairly with me. It is not proper for me to vaunt thus about my own self. I shall, however, make these words of mine true before you.

Within this very hour, these words will either be proved or falsified. Let him amongst you take up the mace that will fight with me.

Within this very hour, these words will either be proved or falsified. Let him amongst you take up the mace that will fight with me.