Shloka 12
Chapter 59: Baladeva’s Censure, Keśava’s Restraint, and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Moral Accounting
पुनश्च राज्ञ: पतितस्य भूमौ सतां गदां स्कन्धगतां प्रगृहा । वामेन पादेन शिर: प्रमृद्य दुर्योधनं नैकृतिकं न्यवोचत्,यों कहकर भीमसेनने पृथ्वीपर पड़े हुए राजा दुर्योधनके कंधेसे लगी हुई उसकी गदा ले ली और बायें पैरसे उसका सिर कुचलकर उसे छलिया और कपटी कहा
punaś ca rājñaḥ patitasya bhūmau satāṃ gadāṃ skandhagatāṃ pragṛhya | vāmena pādena śiraḥ pramṛdya duryodhanaṃ naikṛtikaṃ nyavocat ||
Sañjaya said: Then again, taking up the mace that lay against the shoulder of the king fallen on the ground, he pressed down Duryodhana’s head with his left foot and addressed him as a deceitful, treacherous man. The scene underscores how, at the war’s bitter end, moral accusation and humiliation accompany physical defeat, raising questions about righteous conduct amid vengeance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how victory in war can slide into humiliation and moral condemnation. By calling Duryodhana “naikṛtika” (treacherous), the speaker frames the enemy’s downfall as ethically deserved, yet the act of trampling the head also invites reflection on restraint and propriety (dharma) even toward a defeated foe.
Sañjaya narrates that after Duryodhana has fallen, the victor seizes the mace lying against his shoulder and, pressing Duryodhana’s head with the left foot, addresses him with an insult—branding him deceitful and treacherous.