Shloka 22
स्वर्गे दुर्योधनदर्शनम् | Duryodhana Seen in Heaven
Triviṣṭapa
ये ते वीरा महात्मानो भ्रातरो मे महाव्रता: । सत्यप्रतिज्ञा लोकस्य शूरा वै सत्यवादिन:,*देवर्ष! जिसके कारण घोड़े, हाथी और मनुष्योंसहित सारी पृथ्वी नष्ट हो गयी, जिसके वैरका बदला लेनेकी इच्छासे हमें भी क्रोधकी आगमें जलना पड़ा, जो धर्मका नाम भी नहीं जानता था, जिसने जीवनभर भूमण्डलके समस्त सुहृदोंके साथ द्रोह ही किया है, उस पापी दुर्योधनको यदि ये सनातन वीरलोक प्राप्त हुए हैं तो जो वे वीर, महात्मा, महान् व्रतधारी, सत्यप्रतिज्ञ विश्वविख्यात शूर और सत्यवादी मेरे भाई हैं उन्हें इस समय कौन-से लोक प्राप्त हुए हैं? मैं उनको देखना चाहता हूँ। कुन्तीके सत्यप्रतिज्ञ पुत्र महात्मा कर्णसे भी मिलना चाहता हूँ
ye te vīrā mahātmāno bhrātaro me mahāvratāḥ | satyapratijñā lokasya śūrā vai satyavādinaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Those heroes—my brothers—were great-souled and firm in their vows, renowned in the world for keeping their promises, truly valiant, and devoted to truth. If that sinful Duryodhana—who did not even know the name of dharma, who throughout life betrayed all well-wishers of the earth, and because of whose enmity the whole world with horses, elephants, and men was destroyed, and in whose revenge-driven fury we too were scorched—has attained these eternal realms of heroes, then what realms have my brothers attained now? I wish to see them. And I also wish to meet the great-souled Karṇa, Kuntī’s son, steadfast in truth.”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truth) and pratijñā (kept vows) as defining virtues of the righteous, while raising a moral problem: if even a grievous wrongdoer can reach a heroic realm, then the truly vow-steadfast and truth-speaking must surely attain an even higher state—prompting reflection on karma, merit, and the complexity of dharma.
In Svargārohaṇa, the speaker (through Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration) voices astonishment that Duryodhana appears to have reached an eternal heroic world. He then asks where his own brothers are and expresses a desire to see them, adding that he wishes to meet Karṇa, Kuntī’s son, in that realm.