Shloka 293
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 155 — Ghaṭotkaca-nidhana-śoka and Karṇa-śakti-vyaya
Kṛṣṇa’s strategic reassurance
स्वार्थहेतो: पराक्रान्तौ दुर्योधनयुधिष्ठिरी । शत्रुओंका दमन करनेवाले वे दोनों कुरुवंशी वीर दुर्योधन और युधिष्ठिर अपने-अपने स्वार्थके लिये युद्धमें पराक्रम प्रकट करते हुए एक-दूसरेसे भिड़ गये
svārtha-hetoḥ parākrāntau duryodhana-yudhiṣṭhirī | śatrūṇāṃ damana-karṇe vāle te ubhau kuru-vaṃśī vīrau duryodhanaḥ yudhiṣṭhiraś ca sva-sva svārthāya yuddhe parākramaṃ prakaṭayantaḥ parasparaṃ samabhidudruvuḥ
Sanjaya sprach: Von eigenem Nutzen getrieben, zeigten Duryodhana und Yudhiṣṭhira—beide Helden aus dem Kuru-Geschlecht, Bezwinger der Feinde—auf dem Schlachtfeld ihre Kraft für ihre jeweiligen Ziele und drängten aufeinander zu, bis sie im unmittelbaren Kampf aneinandergerieten.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how personal interest (svārtha) can become a powerful driver even for celebrated figures, intensifying conflict and testing dharma. It invites reflection on motive: valor in war is not ethically neutral, and intention—duty versus self-serving gain—shapes the moral weight of action.
Sanjaya reports that Duryodhana and Yudhiṣṭhira, both formidable Kuru warriors, advance toward each other in battle. Each seeks to secure his own objective in the war, and they meet head-on, displaying martial prowess as they engage directly.