Shloka 276
Droṇa’s Rebuke to Duryodhana after Jayadratha’s Fall (द्रोणेन दुर्योधनं प्रति प्रत्युक्तिः)
विशेषतो नरपतेर्विषम: प्रतिभाति मे | उस महासमरमें बहुत-से योद्धाओंके साथ किसी एक वीरका विशेषतः राजा दुर्योधनका युद्ध करना तो मुझे विषम (अयोग्य) प्रतीत हो रहा है
viśeṣato narapater viṣamaḥ pratibhāti me | asmin mahāsamare bahubhir yoddhaiḥ sahaikasya vīrasya viśeṣataḥ rājā duryodhanasya yuddhaṃ kartum iti me viṣamam (ayogyam) pratibhāti |
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai raja, bagiku hal ini tampak tidak patut—terutama dalam pertempuran besar ini—bahwa banyak kesatria bertempur bersama melawan satu pahlawan; dan terlebih lagi, bahwa Raja Duryodhana dipaksa menghadapi pertarungan yang begitu tidak seimbang. Bagiku, itu tidak layak dan tidak adil.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal of fairness in combat: a battle becomes morally questionable when it is made ‘unequal’—many against one—especially when directed against a single king. It reflects concern for kṣatriya norms of honorable warfare.
Sañjaya, reporting events to the blind king, comments that in the great battle it seems improper that one hero should be confronted by many warriors, and he singles out Duryodhana’s situation as particularly unequal.