Shloka 24
Abhimanyunidhana-prakāśaḥ — Vasudeva–Kṛṣṇa–Subhadrā–Kuntī śoka-saṃvāda
Disclosure and Consolation
अवधीन्मद्रराजानं कुरुराजो युधिष्ठिर: । तस्मिंस्तदार्धदिवसे कृत्वा कर्म सुदुष्करम्,कुरुराज युधिष्ठिरने अत्यन्त दुष्कर पराक्रम करके दोपहर होते-होते मद्रराज शल्यको मार गिराया
avadhīn madrarājānaṃ kururājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | tasmiṃs tadārdhadivase kṛtvā karma suduṣkaram |
Vāsudeva said: King Yudhiṣṭhira of the Kurus slew the king of Madra. By midday, having accomplished a deed of extreme difficulty, the Kuru king brought down Śalya.
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a lethal wartime act as a 'suduṣkara karma'—a grievous yet duty-bound deed—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension: dharma in war often demands painful action performed without personal malice, under the obligations of kingship and the kṣatriya role.
Vāsudeva reports that Yudhiṣṭhira, the Kuru king, killed the Madra king Śalya, accomplishing this difficult feat by midday—marking a decisive moment in the conflict where a major opposing leader falls.