Shloka 45

Duryodhana-vadha-pratikriyā: Harṣa, Nindā, and Kṛṣṇa’s Nīti-vyākhyā (Śalya-parva 60)

Devanagari script

'पृथ्वीनाथ! जिसे छल और कपट ही प्रिय था तथा जिसने कपटसे ही इस वैरकी नींव डाली थी, वही यह दुर्योधन आज मारा जाकर पृथ्वीपर सो रहा है ।। दुःशासनप्रभूतय: सर्वे ते चोग्रवादिन: । राधेय: शकुनिश्चैव हताश्न तव शत्रव:,“वे भयंकर कटुवचन बोलनेवाले दुःशासन आदि धूृतराष्ट्रपुत्र तथा कर्ण और शकुनि आदि आपके सभी शत्रु मार डाले गये

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

pṛthvīnātha! yasya chala-kapaṭaṃ eva priyaṃ āsīt tathā yena kapaṭena eva asya vairasya nīṃvaṃ nyadhīyata, sa eva eṣa duryodhanaḥ adya hataḥ san pṛthivyāṃ śete ||

duḥśāsana-prabhṛtayaḥ sarve te ca ugravādinaḥ |

rādheyaḥ śakuniś caiva hatāḥ sma tava śatravaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O Herr der Erde, derjenige, der nur Trug und List liebte und der durch List das Fundament dieser Feindschaft legte—eben dieser Duryodhana—ist nun erschlagen und liegt am Boden. Und all die Deinen, die harte und gewalttätige Worte führten—Duhshasana und die übrigen—zusammen mit Radheya (Karna) und Shakuni ebenfalls, sind getötet: Deine Feinde sind vernichtet.“

Word by Word

• {'pṛthvīnātha': 'lord of the earth

• king (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'chala': 'deceit, trickery', 'kapaṭa': 'fraud, guile, hypocrisy', 'priya': 'dear, pleasing

• one who is fond of', 'vaira': 'enmity, feud', 'nīṃva (nīva)': 'foundation, base (of a structure

• figuratively of a conflict)', 'duryodhana': 'Duryodhana, eldest Kaurava', 'hata': 'slain, killed', 'pṛthivyām śete': 'lies on the earth/ground', 'duḥśāsana-prabhṛtayaḥ': 'beginning with Duhshasana

• Duhshasana and others', 'ugravādinaḥ': 'speakers of harsh/violent words

• abusive in speech', 'rādheya': 'son of Radha

• Karna', 'śakuni': 'Shakuni of Gandhara', 'śatravaḥ': 'enemies'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhritarashtra
• Duryodhana
• Duhshasana
• Karna (Radheya)
• Shakuni
• Earth/ground (pṛthivī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the fall of Duryodhana as the moral consequence of building a conflict on deceit and manipulation. It underscores that adharma—especially guile that seeds hatred—ultimately collapses, bringing ruin to its architects and allies.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra that Duryodhana has been killed and now lies on the ground. He adds that Duhshasana and the other harsh-tongued Kauravas, along with Karna and Shakuni, have also been slain—signaling the near-total destruction of Dhritarashtra’s side.