Shloka 323
गान्धारी-प्रशमनम् — Pacification of Gāndhārī and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel at Hāstinapura
प्रविश्य प्रत्यपद्यन्त कोशरत्नर्थिसंचयान् | भारत! युधिष्ठिरके ऐसा कहनेपर पाण्डव वीरोंने आपके शिबिरमें प्रवेश करके खजाना, रत्नोंकी ढेरी तथा भण्डारघरपर अधिकार कर लिया
praviśya pratyapadyanta kośaratnārthisaṃcayān |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Entering (the enemy camp), they took possession of the amassed wealth—treasury stores and heaps of jewels.” In the ethical frame of the war, this depicts the immediate, practical consequence of victory: the seizure of resources that sustain an army, while also hinting at the tension between righteous conduct and the temptations of spoils.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how victory in war brings control over material resources (artha). It implicitly raises a dharmic tension: even when action is strategically necessary, the pursuit and handling of spoils must be restrained by righteous governance and responsibility.
After Yudhiṣṭhira’s statement, the Pāṇḍava heroes enter the opposing camp and take control of the treasury, heaps of jewels, and stored wealth—securing the enemy’s resources as part of the war’s outcome.