Shloka 27
Duryodhana-vadha-pratikriyā: Harṣa, Nindā, and Kṛṣṇa’s Nīti-vyākhyā (Śalya-parva 60)
हत्वाधर्मेण राजानं धर्मात्मानं सुयोधनम् | जिह्ययोधीति लोके5स्मिन् ख्यातिं यास्यति पाण्डव:,“धर्मात्मा राजा दुर्योधनको अधर्मपूर्वक मारकर पाण्डुपुत्र भीमसेन इस संसारमें कपट॒पूर्ण युद्ध करनेवाले योद्धाके रूपमें विख्यात होंगे
hatvādharmena rājānaṃ dharmātmānaṃ suyodhanam | jihyayodhīti loke 'smin khyātiṃ yāsyati pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Having slain King Suyodhana—who is spoken of as righteous—by an unrighteous means, the Pāṇḍava will, in this world, gain the reputation of being a deceitful fighter.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of means in warfare: even if the opponent is condemned elsewhere, killing by adharma stains the victor’s public reputation. Dharma is presented not only as inner intent but as observable conduct that society judges.
Sañjaya comments on the aftermath/implication of Suyodhana’s death: because the killing occurred through an unrighteous method, the Pāṇḍava (understood in context as Bhīma) will be branded in the world as a ‘jihyayodhī,’ a fighter who uses crooked or deceitful tactics.