Shloka 15
भीमसेन–अलायुधयुद्धम् / Bhīmasena and Alāyudha: Night Engagement and Command Responses
अस्मद्विजयकामानां सुहृदामुपकारिणाम् | गन्तास्मि कथमानृण्यं गतानां यमसादनम्,सव्यसाची अर्जुनने मेरी सात अक्षौहिणी सेनाओंका संहार करके आपके दूसरे दुर्धर्ष शिष्य राजा जयद्रथको भी मार डाला है। मुझे विजय दिलानेकी इच्छा रखनेवाले मेरे जो- जो उपकारी सुहृद् युद्धमें प्राण देकर यमलोकमें जा पहुँचे हैं, उनका ऋण मैं कैसे चुका सकूँगा?
asmad-vijaya-kāmānāṁ suhṛdām upakāriṇām | gantāsmi katham ānṛṇyaṁ gatānāṁ yama-sādanam ||
Duryodhana said: “How can I ever become free of debt to those beneficent friends of mine who desired my victory and have gone to Yama’s abode, laying down their lives in battle? How can I repay what I owe to the fallen?”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of ṛṇa (debt/obligation): loyalty and sacrifice create a moral burden on the beneficiary, who must reckon with gratitude, responsibility, and the limits of repayment—especially when benefactors have died.
In the aftermath of heavy losses among his supporters, Duryodhana laments that his allies—who fought for his victory—have died and reached Yama’s realm; he agonizes over how he could ever repay their help and sacrifice.