Shloka 13
Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
“अनघ! जैसे सिंहने भैंसेका खून पी लिया हो, उसी प्रकार आपने महान् युद्ध ठानकर दुःशासनके रक्तका पान किया है, यह भी सौभाग्यकी ही बात है ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
anagha! yathā siṃhena mahiṣasya rudhiraṃ pītaṃ syāt tathā tvayā mahad yuddhaṃ niścitya duḥśāsanasya rudhiraṃ pītam; etad api saubhāgyasyaiva kāraṇam ||
ye viprakurvan rājānaṃ dharmātmānaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram |
mūrdhni teṣāṃ kṛtaḥ pādo diṣṭyā te svena karmaṇā ||
Sañjaya berkata— Wahai yang tak bercela! Seperti singa meminum darah kerbau, demikian pula engkau—setelah bertekad menempuh perang besar—oleh keberuntungan telah meminum darah Duḥśāsana; ini pun pertanda mujur. Mereka yang telah berbuat salah kepada raja Yudhiṣṭhira yang menjunjung dharma—di atas kepala mereka semua engkau telah menjejakkan kakimu dengan keberanianmu sendiri; oleh takdir dan oleh perbuatanmu sendiri, hal ini sungguh menjadi alasan sukacita.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames violent retribution within a dharmic-ethical narrative: wrongdoing against a righteous king brings consequences, and the outcome is seen as both destiny (diṣṭyā) and personal agency (svena karmaṇā). It highlights the Mahābhārata tension between moral order (dharma), justified punishment, and the grim cost of war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, praising the warrior who fulfilled a fierce wartime resolve by drinking Duḥśāsana’s blood, likening it to a lion’s act. He says that those who had offended Yudhiṣṭhira have been humbled—symbolically ‘trodden upon’—through the warrior’s valor, presented as a triumphant reversal of earlier humiliation.