Shloka 57
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
न युद्धधर्माच्छेयान् हि पन्था: स्वर्गस्थ कौरवा:
na yuddhadharmāc chreyān hi panthāḥ svargastha kauravāḥ
ഹേ സ്വർഗസ്ഥ കൗരവരേ, യുദ്ധധർമ്മത്തേക്കാൾ ശ്രേഷ്ഠമായ പാത യഥാർത്ഥത്തിൽ ഇല്ല.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts the primacy of yuddhadharma (righteous conduct and duty in battle) for warriors: when war is unavoidable and undertaken within dharma, steadfastness in one’s ordained duty is presented as a supremely beneficial path, even linked with heavenly attainment.
Sañjaya, narrating events and their moral framing, addresses the Kauravas as “svargastha” (those who have reached heaven), implying their death in battle and subsequent heavenly state, and he characterizes their chosen course as aligned with the warrior’s dharma.