Shloka 13
स्वर्गे दुर्योधनदर्शनम् | Duryodhana Seen in Heaven
Triviṣṭapa
एष दुर्योधनो राजा पूज्यते त्रिदशै: सह । सद्धिश्व॒ राजप्रवरैर्य इमे स्वर्गवासिन:
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | eṣa duryodhano rājā pūjyate tridaśaiḥ saha | siddhaiś ca rājapravaraiḥ ye ime svargavāsinaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „Siehe, König Duryodhana — im Himmel wird er geehrt, zusammen mit den Göttern; und auch von den Siddhas und den erhabensten Königen, die in jenem himmlischen Reich weilen.“
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s nuanced moral vision: heavenly reward can follow from one’s ordained role and the manner of death (especially for a kṣatriya in battle), even when the person’s life includes serious adharma. It cautions against simplistic moral accounting and points to karma as complex and multi-causal.
In the Svargārohaṇa episode, the narrator indicates that Duryodhana is seen in Svarga receiving honor among divine and exalted beings. This becomes part of Yudhiṣṭhira’s testing and the epic’s final reflection on justice, merit, and the surprising outcomes of destiny.