Shloka 9
Duryodhana’s Post-Duel Lament and Instructions (भग्नसक्थस्य विलापः)
अन्यायेन हतं दृष्टवा गदायुद्धेन भारत । युधिष्ठिरे महाराज महद् भयमथाविशत्
anyāyena hataṃ dṛṣṭvā gadāyuddhena bhārata | yudhiṣṭhire mahārāja mahad bhayam athāviśat ||
हे भारतवंशज! गदायुद्धात अन्यायाने (नियमभंग करून) त्याचा वध झालेला पाहून महाराज युधिष्ठिराच्या अंतःकरणात मोठे भय शिरले.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when the enemy is defeated, victory gained through adharma (rule-breaking injustice) produces moral peril. The verse highlights that ethical transgression in warfare rebounds as fear, guilt, and anticipated consequences—especially for a dharma-minded king like Yudhiṣṭhira.
After Duryodhana is killed in a mace-duel in a manner judged ‘unrighteous’ (anyāyena), Yudhiṣṭhira is seized by great fear. The scene marks the immediate ethical fallout of the duel’s breach of accepted combat norms.