Shloka 59
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
सर्वो विमृशते जन्तुः कृच्छुस्थो धर्मदर्शनम् । पदस्थ: पिद्ठितं द्वारं परलोकस्य पश्यति
sarvo vimṛśate jantuḥ kṛcchrastho dharmadarśanam | padasthaḥ pihitaṃ dvāraṃ paralokasya paśyati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Every creature, when fallen into distress, reflects upon and appeals to the vision of dharma for protection. But when established in power and position, one sees the gate to the next world as though shut—forgetting the claims of righteousness until crisis returns.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
People often invoke dharma only when suffering, but forget moral accountability when secure in status; true righteousness is steady, not crisis-driven.
In Shalya Parva’s reflective discourse, Yudhiṣṭhira comments on the tendency of beings to remember dharma in adversity and neglect it when established in power, framing an ethical critique amid the war’s aftermath-oriented reflections.