Shloka 486
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
यदेनं पाण्डवा: सर्वे न शेकुरतिवर्तितुम् । दुर्योधन भी बिना किसी घबराहटके अपने बाणोंद्वारा उन शत्रुओंको छिन्न-भिन्न करने लगा। वहाँ हमलोगोंने आपके पुत्रका अद्भुत पराक्रम देखा कि समस्त पाण्डव मिलकर भी उसे लाँधकर आगे न बढ़ सके
yad enaṃ pāṇḍavāḥ sarve na śekur ativartitum | duryodhanaḥ bhayā vinā nirghṛṣṭaḥ svaiḥ śaraiḥ tān śatrūn chinna-bhinnaṃ cakāra | tatra vayaṃ te putrasya adbhutaṃ parākramaṃ dadṛśima—yat samastāḥ pāṇḍavā api taṃ laṅghayitvā agre na śekuḥ gantum ||
Sañjaya said: All the Pāṇḍavas together could not pass beyond him. Duryodhana, without the least fear, began to cut those enemies to pieces with his arrows. There we witnessed the astonishing prowess of your son: even the entire host of the Pāṇḍavas, united, could not overstep him and press forward.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how martial prowess and fearlessness can momentarily dominate the battlefield, yet it also subtly frames such power as an object of observation rather than moral endorsement—reminding the listener (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) that admiration for one’s side must be weighed against the larger ethical consequences of the war.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana forms an effective barrier: the Pāṇḍavas cannot break past him. Duryodhana, unafraid, strikes down opponents with volleys of arrows, and the Kaurava observers witness his extraordinary battlefield performance.