Shloka 20
स्वर्गे दुर्योधनदर्शनम् | Duryodhana Seen in Heaven
Triviṣṭapa
यदि दुर्योधनस्यैते वीरलोका: सनातना: । अधर्मज्ञस्थ पापस्य पृथिवीसुद्ददां द्रुह:
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | yadi duryodhanasyāite vīralokāḥ sanātanāḥ | adharmajñasya pāpasya pṛthivī-suddaḍāṃ druhaḥ |
ໄວສຳປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ຖ້າໂລກອັນອະມະຕະທີ່ສະຫງວນໄວ້ແກ່ວີຣະຊົນ ໄດ້ຖືກປະທານໃຫ້ດຸຣະໂຢທະນະ—ຜູ້ບາບ ບໍ່ຮູ້ທຳ ເປັນຜູ້ຫັກຫຼັງ ຜູ້ນຳຄວາມພິນາດມາໃຫ້ແຜ່ນດິນ ພ້ອມມ້າ ຊ້າງ ແລະ ມະນຸດ—ແລ້ວ ພີ່ນ້ອງຂອງຂ້າໃນຍາມນີ້ ໄດ້ບັນລຸໂລກໃດ: ວີຣະຊົນ ມະຫາອາດຕະມະ ຜູ້ຖືວຣະຕະໃຫຍ່ ຜູ້ສັດຈະປະຕິຍານ ນັກຮົບຜູ້ລືຊື່ໃນໂລກ ແລະ ຜູ້ເວົ້າຄວາມຈິງ? ຂ້າປາດຖະນາຈະເຫັນເຂົາເຈົ້າ. ແລະ ຂ້າຍັງປາດຖະນາຈະພົບມະຫາອາດຕະມະ ກັນນະ ບຸດຂອງກຸນຕີ ຜູ້ຕັ້ງມັ່ນໃນສັດຈະ».
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a moral paradox central to the Mahābhārata: heavenly reward can follow outwardly ‘heroic’ conduct (kṣatriya valor, battlefield death) even when a person is ethically compromised. It challenges simplistic equations of victory, reputation, or even heavenly attainment with true dharma, pushing the listener to reflect on layered causality (karma), role-based duty, and the limits of human moral judgment.
In Svargārohaṇa, after reaching the other world, Yudhiṣṭhira (speaking through Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration) is disturbed to learn that Duryodhana has attained heroic realms. He contrasts Duryodhana’s betrayal and earth-destroying war with the virtues of his own brothers and expresses a desire to see them—and also to meet Karṇa, Kuntī’s son—seeking clarity about their posthumous destinies.