Adhyāya 17 — Gandhārī’s Vilāpa at Duryodhana’s Body (स्त्रीपर्व, अध्याय १७)
ध्रुवं दुर्योधनो वीरो गतिं न सुलभां गत: । तथा हाभिमुख: शेते शयने वीरसेविते,“निश्चय ही वीर दुर्योधन उस उत्तम गतिको प्राप्त हुआ है, जो सबके लिये सुलभ नहीं है; क्योंकि यह वीरसेवित शय्यापर सामने मुँह किये सो रहा है
dhruvaṃ duryodhano vīro gatiṃ na sulabhāṃ gataḥ | tathā hābhimukhaḥ śete śayane vīrasevite ||
ໄວສັມປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ແນ່ນອນແທ້ ວີຣະບຸລຸດ ດຸຣະໂຢທະນະ ໄດ້ບັນລຸຄະຕິອັນສູງສົ່ງ ທີ່ບໍ່ແມ່ນທຸກຄົນຈະເຂົ້າເຖິງໄດ້ງ່າຍ; ເພາະວ່າເຂົານອນຢູ່ນັ້ນ ຫັນໜ້າໄປຂ້າງໜ້າ ຢູ່ເທິງຕຽງທີ່ວີຣະຊົນທັງຫຼາຍເຄົາລົບ».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the epic tension between admiration for martial courage and the broader moral cost of war: a warrior may attain a ‘hard-to-reach’ heroic end, yet this recognition occurs within a lament-filled context that invites reflection on dharma, violence, and consequence.
Vaiśampāyana comments on Duryodhana’s end-state after the great conflict, describing him as having reached a rare destiny and lying ‘facing forward’ on a bed associated with warriors—an image of a fallen hero even amid the postwar mourning of the Strī Parva.