Shloka 28
दुर्योधनो5पि धर्मात्मा गतिं यास्यति शाश्वतीम् । ऋणजुयोधी हतो राजा धार्तराष्ट्री नराधिप:,“धृतराष्ट्रपुत्र धर्मात्मा राजा दुर्योधन सरलतासे युद्ध कर रहा था, उस अवस्थामें मारा गया है; अतः वह सनातन सदगतिको प्रान्त होगा
duryodhano 'pi dharmātmā gatiṁ yāsyati śāśvatīm | ṛṇajuyodhī hato rājā dhārtarāṣṭrī narādhipaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Even Duryodhana, being of a dharmic disposition, will attain an everlasting destiny. That king—lord of men, the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra—has been slain while fighting straightforwardly, as one who repays his debt (of enmity and obligation) in battle; therefore he will reach the eternal good state.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key epic ethic: even a condemned antagonist may be granted a ‘good’ posthumous destiny if he meets death while fulfilling the kṣatriya code—fighting openly and steadfastly, discharging obligations without deceit. It highlights the Mahābhārata’s nuanced moral lens, where conduct in action (especially at life’s end) can carry decisive ethical weight.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana has been killed. He characterizes Duryodhana’s final combat as straightforward and duty-bound, and on that basis asserts that Duryodhana will attain an enduring posthumous state.