Shloka 63
Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
मयानेकैरुपायैस्तु मायायोगेन चासकृत् | हतास्ते सर्व एवाजी भवतां हितमिच्छता,“आपलोगोंका हित चाहते हुए मैंने ही बारंबार मायाका प्रयोग करके अनेक उपायोंसे युद्धस्थलमें उन सबका वध किया
mayānekair upāyais tu māyāyogena cāsakṛt | hatās te sarva evājau bhavatāṁ hitam icchatā ||
Sañjaya dit : «Cherchant votre bien, j’ai recouru maintes fois au pouvoir de l’illusion et à de nombreux stratagèmes ; ainsi, sur le champ de bataille, ils furent tous mis à mort.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata tension: actions justified as “for your welfare” may still rely on māyā (deception/illusion) and violent outcomes. It invites reflection on whether ends (hita, welfare) can ethically justify means (upāya, stratagem; māyāyoga) in the context of dharma and war.
Sañjaya, as narrator, reports that through repeated use of illusory tactics and multiple strategies, the opposing side (referred to collectively as “they”) were killed on the battlefield, and he frames these actions as undertaken with the intention of benefiting the addressed party (“you”).