Shloka 13
अध्याय ४ — दुर्योधनस्य असंधि-निश्चयः
Duryodhana’s Refusal of Reconciliation
तदत्र प्रतिवक्ष्यामि किंचिदेव हितं वच: । हते भीष्मे च द्रोणे च कर्णे चैव महारथे
tad atra prativakṣyāmi kiñcid eva hitaṃ vacaḥ | hate bhīṣme ca droṇe ca karṇe caiva mahārathe, yeṣu bhāraṃ samāsādya rājye matim akurmahi | te saṃtyajya tanūr yātāḥ śūrā brahmavidāṃ gatim ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ici, je répondrai par quelques mots pour ton bien. Bhīṣma a été tué, Droṇa a été tué, et Karṇa aussi — le grand guerrier de char. Ceux sur qui nous avions fait peser le fardeau de la guerre, arrêtant notre esprit sur la conquête du royaume par leur entremise — ces héros, quittant leur corps, sont allés vers la destinée des connaisseurs de Brahman.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sañjaya urges a sobering ethical realism: worldly plans for power depend on fragile human supports. Even the greatest warriors fall, and the proper response is to recognize impermanence and the higher moral-spiritual horizon implied by ‘the destiny of Brahman-knowers,’ rather than clinging to political hope alone.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, offering ‘beneficial words’ after catastrophic losses. He reports that the Kauravas’ chief pillars—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and Karṇa—have been slain; the very men on whom the war-effort and the hope of gaining the kingdom were placed are gone.