Shloka 22
अथ दुर्योधनो राजा सात्यकि समभाषत | प्रियं सखायं सतत गर्हयन् वृत्तमात्मन:,तदनन्तर राजा दुर्योधनने अपने बर्तावकी निरन्तर निन्दा करते हुए वहाँ अपने प्रिय सखा सात्यकिसे इस प्रकार कहा--
atha duryodhano rājā sātyaki samabhāṣata | priyaṃ sakhāyaṃ satataṃ garhayan vṛttam ātmanaḥ ||
Then King Duryodhana addressed Sātyaki. While continually censuring his own conduct, he spoke in this manner to his dear friend—revealing a moment of self-reproach amid the pressures of war and kingship.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the midst of conflict, a ruler’s inner moral awareness can surface as self-critique. The verse highlights the ethical tension between one’s chosen actions (vṛtta) and one’s conscience, suggesting that recognition of wrongdoing is a significant—though not always transformative—moment in moral life.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana turns to address Sātyaki, calling him a dear friend, and speaks while repeatedly condemning his own behavior. The line functions as a narrative transition into Duryodhana’s ensuing speech, framed by regret or self-blame.