Shloka 35
मैत्रेयागमनम् — The Arrival of Maitreya and the Admonition to Duryodhana
अद्याहमनृणो भूत्वा भ्रातु: सख्युस्तथैव च । शान्तिं लब्धास्मि परमां हत्वा राक्षषकण्टकम्,“आज मैं राक्षसोंके लिये कण्टकरूप इस भीमसेनको मारकर अपने भाई तथा मित्रके ऋणसे उऋण हो परम शान्ति प्राप्त करूँगा
adyāham anṛṇo bhūtvā bhrātuḥ sakhyus tathaiva ca | śāntiṁ labdhāsmi paramāṁ hatvā rākṣasa-kaṇṭakam ||
“Today I shall be free of my debt—both to my brother and to my friend. By slaying this Bhīmasena, who stands as a thorn and menace to the rākṣasas, I will attain supreme peace.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames action through the lens of ṛṇa (moral obligation): the speaker believes that repaying debts to kin and allies can justify decisive, even violent, action, and that fulfilling such obligations leads to inner peace (śānti). It also illustrates how ‘peace’ is sometimes claimed as the outcome of removing a perceived threat.
The speaker declares an intention to kill Bhīmasena, describing him as a ‘thorn’ to the rākṣasas, and claims that this act will discharge obligations owed to a brother and a friend, culminating in the attainment of supreme peace.