Shloka 68

Devanagari script

पूर्वरनुगतो मार्गों देवैरसुरघातिभि: । सद्धिश्वानुगतः पन्था: स सर्वैरनुगम्यते,“असुरोंका विनाश करनेवाले पूर्ववर्ती देवताओंने इस मार्गका आश्रय लिया है। श्रेष्ठ पुरुष जिस मार्गसे चले हैं, उसका सभी लोग अनुसरण करते हैं

Transliteration

pūrvarānugato mārgo devair asuraghātibhiḥ | saddhiśvānugataḥ panthāḥ sa sarvair anugamyate ||

Translation

അസുരസംഹാരികളായ പൂർവ്വദേവന്മാർ അനുസരിച്ച മാർഗ്ഗം തന്നെയാണ്; സദ്ജനന്മാർ നടന്ന പഥം തന്നെയാണ്—അത് എല്ലാവരും പിന്തുടരുന്നു.

Word by Word

पूर्वैःby the former/earlier (ones)

अनुगतःfollowed

मार्गःpath

देवैःby the gods

असुरघातिभिःby (those) slayers of asuras

सत्भिःby the good/virtuous (men)

हिindeed/for

अनुगतःfollowed

पन्थाःpath

सःthat/he

सर्वैःby all

अनुगम्यतेis followed

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Devas (gods)

Asuras

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that dharma becomes authoritative through the precedent set by the virtuous: when the noble adopt a path, it naturally becomes the model that others follow. Ethical leadership and exemplary conduct shape collective behavior.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, inserts a reflective maxim: just as the ancient gods took a certain course in overcoming destructive forces (Asuras), so too the righteous course established by the good is the one people generally imitate—framing the war narrative within a moral lens of following proven righteous precedent.