Shloka 28
सो<हं तत्र गमिष्यामि यत्र ते पुरुषर्षभा: | हता मदर्थ संग्रामे युध्यमाना: किरीटिना,वे पुरुषशिरोमणि सुहृद् रणभूमिमें मेरे लिये युद्ध करते-करते अर्जुनके हाथसे मारे जाकर जिन लोकोंमें गये हैं, वहीं मैं भी जाऊँगा
so ’haṁ tatra gamiṣyāmi yatra te puruṣarṣabhāḥ | hatā mad-artha-saṅgrāme yudhyamānāḥ kirīṭinā ||
Duryodhana said: “I too shall go to that very realm where those bull-like heroes of yours have gone—slain by the diademed Arjuna while fighting in battle for my sake. If they have fallen for me, then I will follow them there.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of leadership: when warriors die “for my sake,” the ruler cannot evade responsibility. Duryodhana frames his resolve as solidarity with those who fell on his account, underscoring accountability and the ethical burden of causing others’ deaths.
Duryodhana speaks after heavy losses in the war. He refers to his fighters who, battling for him, were slain by Arjuna (called Kirīṭin, “the diademed”). He declares that he will go to the same destination they have reached—implying a readiness to face death and share their fate.