Shloka 23
शिरोभूषण, केयूर, सुन्दर अंगद, गलेके हार, पदक, सोनेकी जंजीर, उत्तम मणि, हीरे, सुवर्ण तथा मुक्ता आदि छोटे-बड़े मांगलिक रत्न, अत्यन्त सुख भोगनेके योग्य शरीर, चन्द्रमाको भी लज्जित करनेवाले मुखसे युक्त मस्तक, देह, भोग, आच्छादन-वस्त्र तथा मनोरम सुख--इन सबको त्यागकर स्वधर्मकी पराकाष्ठाका पालन करते हुए सम्पूर्ण लोकोंमें अपने यशका विस्तार करके वे वीर सैनिक दिव्य लोकोंमें पहुँच गये हैं | २०-- २२ |। निवर्त दुर्योधन यान्तु सैनिका व्रजस्व राजन् शिबिराय मानद । दिवाकरो<प्येष विलम्बते प्रभो पुनस्त्वमेवात्र नरेन्द्र कारणम्,दूसरोंको सम्मान देनेवाले राजा दुर्योधन! अब लौटो। इन सैनिकोंको भी जाने दो। शिबिरमें चलो। प्रभो! ये भगवान् सूर्य भी अस्ताचलपर लटक रहे हैं। नरेन्द्र! तुम्हीं इस नर- संहारके प्रधान कारण हो
śalya uvāca | nivarta duryodhana yāntu sainikā vrajasva rājan śibirāya mānada | divākaro 'py eṣa vilambate prabho punas tvam evātra narendra kāraṇam ||
Śalya said: “Crowns and armlets, fair aṅgadas, necklaces at the throat, pendants, chains of gold; finest gems—diamonds, gold, and pearls—auspicious jewels, great and small; bodies fit to taste the utmost pleasure; heads with faces that would make the moon itself grow shy—body, enjoyment, garments, and delights of the heart: casting all this away, and upholding their own dharma to its very summit, they spread their fame through all the worlds, and those heroic warriors reached the divine realms. “Turn back, Duryodhana. Let the soldiers depart as well. Go to the camp, O king who honors others. Even the Sun now lingers, ready to sink toward the western horizon. O lord, O ruler of men—once again, you yourself are the chief cause of this slaughter of men.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śalya frames kingship as moral accountability: a ruler must recognize when continued fighting becomes needless destruction, and must accept responsibility for the human cost driven by his decisions.
On the battlefield near day’s end, Śalya urges Duryodhana to withdraw and return to camp, noting the Sun is about to set, and bluntly states that Duryodhana is the primary cause of the ongoing massacre.