Shloka 12
Adhyāya 17 — Gandhārī’s Vilāpa at Duryodhana’s Body (स्त्रीपर्व, अध्याय १७)
ध्रुवं दुर्योधनो वीरो गतिं न सुलभां गत: । तथा हाभिमुख: शेते शयने वीरसेविते,“निश्चय ही वीर दुर्योधन उस उत्तम गतिको प्राप्त हुआ है, जो सबके लिये सुलभ नहीं है; क्योंकि यह वीरसेवित शय्यापर सामने मुँह किये सो रहा है
dhruvaṃ duryodhano vīro gatiṃ na sulabhāṃ gataḥ | tathā hābhimukhaḥ śete śayane vīrasevite ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Sungguh, sang pahlawan Duryodhana telah mencapai suatu takdir yang tidak mudah diraih semua orang; sebab ia terbaring di sana, menghadap ke depan, di ranjang yang dimuliakan para ksatria.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic tension between admiration for martial courage and the broader moral cost of war: a warrior may attain a ‘hard-to-reach’ heroic end, yet this recognition occurs within a lament-filled context that invites reflection on dharma, violence, and consequence.
Vaiśampāyana comments on Duryodhana’s end-state after the great conflict, describing him as having reached a rare destiny and lying ‘facing forward’ on a bed associated with warriors—an image of a fallen hero even amid the postwar mourning of the Strī Parva.