Shloka 183
Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
असकृद् वाम्भिरुग्राभिनिहतो होष मन्दधी: । “नरेश्वरो! मरे हुए शत्रुको पुनः मारना उचित नहीं है। तुमलोगोंने इस मन्दबुद्धि दुर्योधनको बारंबार कठोर वचनोंद्वारा घायल किया है
asakṛd vāmbhir ugrābhinīhato hoṣa mandadhīḥ | “nareśvara! mare hue śatruko punaḥ mārana ucita nahīṃ hai | tumalogoṃne isa mandabuddhi duryodhanako bārambār kaṭhora vacanodvārā ghāyala kiyā hai”
Sañjaya said: “Though struck again and again by fierce words, that dull-witted one still cries out. O king, it is not proper to strike a foe who is already as good as dead. You have repeatedly wounded this dull-minded Duryodhana with harsh speech.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, restraint is part of dharma: one should not keep attacking—physically or verbally—someone who is already defeated or effectively ‘dead.’ Harsh speech that humiliates a fallen opponent is portrayed as ethically improper.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, repeatedly hurt by severe words, continues to lament. He addresses the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) and frames the Pandavas’ repeated harsh verbal blows against Duryodhana as an unseemly act—like striking an already slain enemy.