Shloka 3
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
दुर्योधनस्यथ पदवीं गतौ परमिकां रणे,वे दोनों वीर पांचालोंके द्वारा मारे जाकर धरतीपर सदाके लिये सो तो नहीं गये? रणभूमिमें मरकर दुर्योधनके ही उत्तम मार्गपर चले तो नहीं गये? क्या उन दोनोंने भी वहाँ कोई पराक्रम किया? संजय! ये सब बातें मुझे बताओ
duryodhanasyaiva padavīṁ gatāv paramikāṁ raṇe, tau dvau vīrau pāñcālābhyāṁ hatvā bhūmau sadā-kṛte suptau na vā? raṇabhūmau mṛtvā duryodhanasyaiva uttama-mārgeṇa gatau na vā? kim ubhābhyām api tatra kiñcid parākramaḥ kṛtaḥ? sañjaya, etat sarvaṁ me vada.
Did those two heroes, after striking down the Pañcālas, attain in battle that supreme course which Duryodhana has taken? Or did they not fall upon the earth to sleep forever? Having died on the battlefield, did they indeed follow Duryodhana’s own noble path? And did the two of them display any further valor there? Sañjaya—tell me all this.
घतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield death in terms of a 'path' or posthumous course, reflecting the epic’s concern with honor and the moral weight of killing. It probes whether violent deeds and a warrior’s end are being interpreted as leading to a 'noble' destiny, highlighting the tension between martial ideals and ethical accountability.
The speaker questions Sañjaya about two warriors who killed Pañcālas: whether they died on the battlefield and thus followed Duryodhana’s own 'supreme' course after death, and whether they performed any further feats. It is an inquiry into the immediate aftermath of combat and the status of key fighters.