Shloka 28
अध्याय ९ — दुर्योधनस्य अन्त्यावस्था, विलापः, तथा सौप्तिक-प्रतिवृत्तम्
Duryodhana’s Final Condition, Lamentation, and the Night’s Report
'प्रभो! भरतनन्दन! वे वृष्णिकुलभूषण बलराम राजाओंकी सभामें सदा आपकी प्रशंसा करते हुए कहते थे कि “कुरुराज दुर्योधन गदायुद्धमें मेरा शिष्य है” ।।
prabho bharatanandana te vṛṣṇikulabhūṣaṇo balarāmo rājñāṁ sabhāyāṁ sadā tava praśaṁsāṁ kurvan evam āha—“kururājo duryodhano gadāyuddhe mama śiṣyaḥ” iti | yāṁ gatiṁ kṣatriyasyāhuḥ praśastāṁ paramarṣayaḥ | hatasyābhimukhasyājau prāptas tvam asi tāṁ gatim ||
Sanjaya berkata: “Wahai tuanku, wahai kebanggaan wangsa Bharata! Balarama, permata garis Vrishni, selalu memuji engkau di balairung para raja, seraya berkata: ‘Duryodhana, raja Kurawa, adalah muridku dalam perang gada.’ Dan takdir luhur yang dipuji para resi agung bagi seorang ksatria—yang gugur di medan laga sambil menghadap musuh—takdir itulah yang engkau capai.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse affirms a classical kshatriya ideal: to meet the enemy directly and, if slain while confronting the foe, to attain a ‘praśastā gati’—a praised destiny—endorsed by seers. It also frames martial excellence within a lineage of instruction (Balarama as teacher), linking reputation, duty, and the ethics of facing battle without turning away.
Sanjaya addresses a Bharata prince and recalls how Balarama publicly praised Duryodhana in royal courts as his disciple in mace-fighting. He then declares that the addressee has attained the honored end described by sages for a warrior who dies in battle while facing the opponent.