Shloka 62
Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
“यह दुर्योधन अत्यन्त शीघ्रतापूर्वक अस्त्र चलानेवाला था, अतः इसे कोई जीत नहीं सकता था और वे भीष्म, द्रोण आदि महारथी भी बड़े पराक्रमी थे। उन्हें धर्मानुकूल सरलतापूर्वक युद्धके द्वारा आपलोग नहीं मार सकते थे ।। नैष शक््य: कदाचित् तु हन्तुं धर्मेण पार्थिव: । ते वा भीष्ममुखा: सर्वे महेष्वासा महारथा:,“यह राजा दुर्योधन अथवा वे भीष्म आदि सभी महाधनुर्धर महारथी कभी धर्मयुद्धके द्वारा नहीं मारे जा सकते थे
naiṣa śakyaḥ kadācit tu hantuṃ dharmeṇa pārthivaḥ | te vā bhīṣmamukhāḥ sarve maheṣvāsā mahārathāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “This king (Duryodhana) cannot, at any time, be slain by means that conform to dharma. Likewise, all those great chariot-warriors beginning with Bhīṣma—mighty archers and foremost fighters—could not be brought down by you through straightforward, dharma-bound combat.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between dharma-bound warfare and the harsh necessities of victory: certain formidable warriors are portrayed as effectively ‘unassailable’ if one restricts oneself strictly to ideal, rule-governed combat. It implies that outcomes in the Kurukṣetra war may force morally complex choices, testing the limits of righteous conduct.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, emphasizes the extraordinary martial strength of Duryodhana and the Kaurava champions led by Bhīṣma. He suggests that defeating or killing such warriors through simple, straightforward adherence to the rules of dharma-yuddha would be extremely difficult—setting the stage for the war’s escalating ethical and tactical dilemmas.