Duryodhana Refuses: Not a Needle's Point of Land

Verse 1 (5.127.1)

श्रुत्वा दुर्योधनो वाक्यमप्रियं कुरुसंसदि । प्रत्युवाच महाबाहुं वासुदेवं यशस्विनम् ॥

śrutvā duryodhano vākyamapriyaṃ kurusaṃsadi | pratyuvāca mahābāhuṃ vāsudevaṃ yaśasvinam

Hearing these unwelcome words in the Kuru assembly, Duryodhana replied to the mighty-armed, glorious Vasudeva:

Verse 2 (5.127.2)

प्रसमीक्ष्य भवानेतद्वक्तुमर्हति केशव । मामेव हि विशेषेण विभाष्य परिगर्हसे ॥

prasamīkṣya bhavānetadvaktumarhati keśava | māmeva hi viśeṣeṇa vibhāṣya parigarhase

"You ought to weigh things carefully before you speak, Keshava. Yet you single me out above all and censure me with harsh words.

Note on the text: Speaker set to Duryodhana: his reply, announced in verse 1, runs to the end of the adhyaya with no printed heading (the input carried Vaishampayana over).

Verse 3 (5.127.3)

भक्तिवादेन पार्थानामकस्मान्मधुसूदन । भवान्गर्हयति नित्यं किं समीक्ष्य बलाबलम् ॥

bhaktivādena pārthānāmakasmānmadhusūdana | bhavāngarhayati nityaṃ kiṃ samīkṣya balābalam

Out of partiality for the sons of Pritha, Madhusudana, you are forever blaming me without cause. On what weighing of strength and weakness do you do it?

Verse 4 (5.127.4)

भवान्क्षत्ता च राजा वाऽप्याचार्यो वा पितामहः । मामेव परिगर्हन्ते नान्यं कंचन पाण्डवम् ॥

bhavānkṣattā ca rājā vā'pyācāryo vā pitāmahaḥ | māmeva parigarhante nānyaṃ kaṃcana pāṇḍavam

You, the steward, the king, the teacher and the grandsire all censure me alone, and not a single one of the Pandavas.

Verse 5 (5.127.5)

न चाहं लक्षये कंचिद्व्यभिचारमिहात्मनः । अथ सर्वे भवन्तो मां विद्विषन्ति सराजकाः ॥

na cāhaṃ lakṣaye kaṃcidvyabhicāramihātmanaḥ | atha sarve bhavanto māṃ vidviṣanti sarājakāḥ

Yet I see no fault at all in myself in this; and still all of you, together with the kings, hate me.

Verse 6 (5.127.6)

न चाहं कंचिदत्यर्थमपराधमरिन्दम । विचिन्तयन्प्रपश्यामि सुसूक्ष्ममपि केशव ॥

na cāhaṃ kaṃcidatyarthamaparādhamarindama | vicintayanprapaśyāmi susūkṣmamapi keśava

Reflecting on it, subduer of foes, I can find no grave offence of mine, Keshava, not even the slightest.

Verse 7 (5.127.7)

प्रियाभ्युपगते द्यूते पाण्डवा मधुसूदन । जिताः शकुनिना राज्यं तत्र किं मम दुष्कृतम् ॥

priyābhyupagate dyūte pāṇḍavā madhusūdana | jitāḥ śakuninā rājyaṃ tatra kiṃ mama duṣkṛtam

In a game of dice that they gladly agreed to, Madhusudana, the Pandavas lost their kingdom to Shakuni. What wrong did I do in that?

Note on the text: Corrected मधूसूदन → मधुसूदन (misprint in Wikisource; long ू for short ु; critical edition madhusūdana).

Verse 8 (5.127.8)

यत्पुनर्द्रविणं किंचित्तत्राजीयन्त पाण्डवाः । तेभ्य एवाभ्यनुज्ञातं तत्तदा मधुसूदन ॥

yatpunardraviṇaṃ kiṃcittatrājīyanta pāṇḍavāḥ | tebhya evābhyanujñātaṃ tattadā madhusūdana

And whatever wealth the Pandavas lost there, Madhusudana, was given back to them at that very time.

Note on the text: Corrected तत्तद → तत्तदा (misprint in Wikisource; dropped vowel sign ा in तदा, "then"; critical edition tat tadā).

Verse 9 (5.127.9)

अपराधो न चास्माकं यत्ते ह्यक्षैः पराजिताः । अजेया जयतां श्रेष्ठ पार्थाः प्रव्राजिता वनम् ॥

aparādho na cāsmākaṃ yatte hyakṣaiḥ parājitāḥ | ajeyā jayatāṃ śreṣṭha pārthāḥ pravrājitā vanam

It is no fault of ours, best of victors, that the unconquerable sons of Pritha, defeated at dice, were sent into exile in the forest.

Verse 10 (5.127.10)

केन वाऽप्यपवादेन विरुध्यन्त्यरिभिः सह । अशक्ताः पाण्डवाः कृष्ण प्रहृष्टाः प्रत्यमित्रवत् ॥

kena vā'pyapavādena virudhyantyaribhiḥ saha | aśaktāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ kṛṣṇa prahṛṣṭāḥ pratyamitravat

On what charge, then, Krishna, do the Pandavas, powerless as they are, now gleefully join our foes and set themselves against us as enemies?

Note on the text: Corrected विरुद्ध्यन्त्य → विरुध्यन्त्य (misprint in Wikisource; the root is रुध्, with no doubled द; critical edition virudhyante).

Verse 11 (5.127.11)

किमस्माभिः कृतं तेषां कस्मिन्वा पुनरागसि । धार्तराष्ट्राञ्जिघांसन्ति पाण्डवाः सृञ्जयैः सह ॥

kimasmābhiḥ kṛtaṃ teṣāṃ kasminvā punarāgasi | dhārtarāṣṭrāñjighāṃsanti pāṇḍavāḥ sṛñjayaiḥ saha

What have we done to them, or for what offence, that the Pandavas together with the Srinjayas seek to kill the sons of Dhritarashtra?

Verse 12 (5.127.12)

न चापि वयमुग्रेण कर्मणा वचनेन वा । प्रभ्रष्टाः प्रणमामेह भयादपि शतक्रतुम् ॥

na cāpi vayamugreṇa karmaṇā vacanena vā | prabhraṣṭāḥ praṇamāmeha bhayādapi śatakratum

We will not be shaken by any fierce deed or word into bowing down here — not even to Shatakratu, out of fear.

Verse 13 (5.127.13)

न च तं कृष्ण पश्यामि क्षत्रधर्ममनुष्ठितम् । उत्सहेत युधा जेतुं यो नः शत्रुनिबर्हण ॥

na ca taṃ kṛṣṇa paśyāmi kṣatradharmamanuṣṭhitam | utsaheta yudhā jetuṃ yo naḥ śatrunibarhaṇa

Nor do I see anyone, Krishna, slayer of foes, who follows the warrior's dharma and could dare to conquer us in battle.

Verse 14 (5.127.14)

न हि भीष्मकृपद्रोणाः सकर्णा मधुसूदन । देवैरपि युधा जेतुं शक्याः किमुत पाण्डवैः ॥

na hi bhīṣmakṛpadroṇāḥ sakarṇā madhusūdana | devairapi yudhā jetuṃ śakyāḥ kimuta pāṇḍavaiḥ

Bhishma, Kripa and Drona, together with Karna, cannot be conquered in battle even by the gods, Madhusudana — how much less by the Pandavas!

Verse 15 (5.127.15)

स्वधर्ममनुपश्यन्तो यदि माधव संयुगे । अस्त्रेण निधनं काले प्राप्स्यामः स्वर्ग्यमेव तत् ॥

svadharmamanupaśyanto yadi mādhava saṃyuge | astreṇa nidhanaṃ kāle prāpsyāmaḥ svargyameva tat

If, keeping our own dharma in view, Madhava, we meet death by the weapon in battle when our time comes, that itself will lead to heaven.

Verse 16 (5.127.16)

मुख्यश्चैवैष नो धर्मः क्षत्रियाणां जनार्दन । यच्छयीमहि सङ्ग्रामे शरतल्पगता वयम् ॥

mukhyaścaivaiṣa no dharmaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ janārdana | yacchayīmahi saṅgrāme śaratalpagatā vayam

This is our foremost dharma as kshatriyas, Janardana: that we should lie down in battle on a bed of arrows.

Verse 17 (5.127.17)

ते वयं वीरशयनं प्राप्स्यामो यदि संयुगे । अप्रणम्यैव शत्रूणां न नस्तप्स्यन्ति माधव ॥

te vayaṃ vīraśayanaṃ prāpsyāmo yadi saṃyuge | apraṇamyaiva śatrūṇāṃ na nastapsyanti mādhava

If we reach the hero's bed in battle without ever having bowed to our enemies, we shall have nothing to regret, Madhava.

Verse 18 (5.127.18)

कश्च जातु कुले जातः क्षत्रधर्मेण वर्तयन् । भयाद्वृत्तिं समीक्ष्यैवं प्रणमेदिह कर्हिचित् ॥

kaśca jātu kule jātaḥ kṣatradharmeṇa vartayan | bhayādvṛttiṃ samīkṣyaivaṃ praṇamediha karhicit

What man born of a noble house and living by the warrior's code would ever bow down here out of fear, with an eye to his livelihood?

Verse 19 (5.127.19)

उद्यच्छेदेव न नमेदुद्यमो ह्येव पौरुषम् । अप्यपर्वणि भज्येत न नमेदिह कर्हिचित् ॥

udyacchedeva na namedudyamo hyeva pauruṣam | apyaparvaṇi bhajyeta na namediha karhicit

One should stand erect and never bow, for effort itself is manhood; one may break where there is no joint, but one should never bow here at all.

Verse 20 (5.127.20)

इति मातङ्गवचनं परीप्सन्ति हितेप्सवः । धर्माय चैव प्रणमेद्ब्राह्मणेभ्यश्च मद्विधः ॥

iti mātaṅgavacanaṃ parīpsanti hitepsavaḥ | dharmāya caiva praṇamedbrāhmaṇebhyaśca madvidhaḥ

This is the saying of Matanga, which those who seek their own good hold to. One like me should bow only to dharma and to the brahmins,

Note on the text: Corrected परिप्सन्ति → परीप्सन्ति (misprint in Wikisource; the desiderative of परि-आप् is परीप्स-, with long ई, as in हितेप्सवः beside it; critical edition parīpsanti).

Verse 21 (5.127.21)

अचिन्तयन्कंचिदन्यं यावज्जीवं तथा चरेत् । एष धर्मः क्षत्रियाणां मतमेतच्च मे सदा ॥

acintayankaṃcidanyaṃ yāvajjīvaṃ tathā caret | eṣa dharmaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ matametacca me sadā

and, heeding no one else, should live so all his life. This is the dharma of kshatriyas, and this has always been my view.

Verse 22 (5.127.22)

राज्यांशश्चाभ्यनुज्ञातो यो मे पित्रा पुराऽभवत् । न स लभ्यः पुनर्जातु मयि जीवति केशव ॥

rājyāṃśaścābhyanujñāto yo me pitrā purā'bhavat | na sa labhyaḥ punarjātu mayi jīvati keśava

The share of the kingdom that my father once granted them shall never be had again while I live, Keshava.

Verse 23 (5.127.23)

यावच्च राजा ध्रियते धृतराष्ट्रो जनार्दन । न्यस्तशस्त्रा वयं ते वाऽप्युपजीवाम माधव । अप्रदेयं पुरा दत्तं राज्यं परवतो मम ॥

yāvacca rājā dhriyate dhṛtarāṣṭro janārdana | nyastaśastrā vayaṃ te vā'pyupajīvāma mādhava | apradeyaṃ purā dattaṃ rājyaṃ paravato mama

As long as King Dhritarashtra lives, Janardana, either we or they must lay down our weapons and live as his dependants, Madhava. The kingdom that ought never to have been given, which was given away long ago while I was under another's control,

Note on the text: Lines 1–2 are the critical edition's 5.125.23; line 3 is 5.125.24ab (reading yady adeyaṃ for अप्रदेयं).

Verse 24 (5.127.24)

अज्ञानाद्वा भयाद्वाऽपि मयि बाले जनार्दन । न तदद्य पुनर्लभ्यं पाण्डवैर्वृष्णिनन्दन ॥

ajñānādvā bhayādvā'pi mayi bāle janārdana | na tadadya punarlabhyaṃ pāṇḍavairvṛṣṇinandana

through ignorance or through fear, when I was a child, Janardana — that cannot be had back by the Pandavas today, joy of the Vrishnis,

Note on the text: Line 1 is the critical edition's 5.125.24cd; line 2 is 5.125.25ab.

Verse 25 (5.127.25)

ध्रियमाणे महाबाहौ मयि संप्रति केशव । यावद्धि तीक्ष्णया सूच्या विध्येदग्रेण केशव । तावदप्यपरित्याज्यं भूमेर्नः पाण्डवान्प्रति ॥

dhriyamāṇe mahābāhau mayi saṃprati keśava | yāvaddhi tīkṣṇayā sūcyā vidhyedagreṇa keśava | tāvadapyaparityājyaṃ bhūmernaḥ pāṇḍavānprati

while I, the mighty-armed, am alive now, Keshava. Not even as much land as the point of a sharp needle would pierce, Keshava, are we to give up to the Pandavas."

Note on the text: Line 1 is the critical edition's 5.125.25cd (reading mahābāho for महाबाहौ); lines 2–3 are 5.125.26 (reading sūcyās tīkṣṇāyā … mādhava). Corrected विद्ध्येद् → विध्येद् (misprint in Wikisource; the optative of व्यध् is विध्येत्, with no doubled द; critical edition vidhyed).