Shloka 13
अद्रोहसमयं कृत्वा चिच्छेद नमुचे: शिर: । शक्र: साभिमता तस्य रिपौ वृत्ति: सनातनी
adrohasamayaṃ kṛtvā ciccheda namuceḥ śiraḥ | śakraḥ sābhimatā tasya ripau vṛttiḥ sanātanī ||
Duryodhana said: “Having first made an agreement of non-hostility, Śakra (Indra) won Namuci’s trust and then, seizing the opportunity, cut off his head. Dear sir, such conduct toward an enemy has been followed from ancient times; it is a practice even Indra approves.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents Duryodhana’s attempt to normalize deceit against enemies by citing Indra’s precedent. It highlights a moral tension in the epic: whether success in conflict can justify breaking trust, and how appeals to divine examples can be used to rationalize ethically dubious conduct.
Duryodhana argues that harsh or deceptive tactics are traditional in dealing with foes. He references the mythic episode where Indra, after making a non-hostility agreement with the Asura Namuci, later beheaded him when an opportunity arose, and claims this is an accepted model of enemy-treatment.