Shloka 10
स्थविर: सन् परं शक्त्या घटे दुर्योधनाहवे । अतः परं मया कार्य क्षुद्रे विजयगृद्धिना,“दुर्योधन! यद्यपि मैं बूढ़ा हो गया, तथापि युद्धसस््थलमें अपनी पूरी शक्ति लगाकर तुम्हारी विजयके लिये चेष्टा करता हूँ, परंतु जान पड़ता है, अब तुम्हारी जीतकी इच्छासे मुझे नीच कार्य भी करना पड़ेगा
sthaviraḥ san paraṁ śaktyā ghaṭe duryodhanāhave | ataḥ paraṁ mayā kāryaṁ kṣudre vijayagṛddhinā |
Sañjaya said: “Though I am an old man, I strive with all my strength in the battle for Duryodhana. Yet it seems that, driven by his hunger for victory, I must now undertake even a base and ignoble deed.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how obsessive desire for victory (vijayagṛddhi) can push people toward morally degrading actions (kṣudra karma), even when they recognize the ethical cost. It warns that ends-driven ambition corrodes dharma and personal integrity.
Sañjaya reports a speaker’s resolve: despite old age, he has been exerting himself fully in Duryodhana’s cause, but now foresees that Duryodhana’s victory-obsession will require him to perform an ignoble act—signaling an impending turn toward questionable tactics in the war.