Shloka 62
Dvaipāyana-hrade Duryodhanasya Māyā — Yudhiṣṭhirasya Dharmoktiḥ (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 30)
दुर्योधनस्तु तच्छुत्वा तेषां तत्र तरस्विनाम् । तथेत्युक्त्वा ह॒दं तं वै माययास्तम्भयत् प्रभो,प्रभो! उन वेगशाली वीरोंकी वह बात सुनकर दुर्योधनने “तथास्तु/ कहकर उस सरोवरके जलको पुनः मायाद्वारा स्तम्भित कर दिया
duryodhanas tu tac chrutvā teṣāṁ tatra tarasvinām | tathety uktvā hṛdaṁ taṁ vai māyayā stambhayat prabho ||
Sañjaya berkata: Mendengar kata-kata para pahlawan yang gagah itu, Duryodhana menjawab, “Baiklah,” lalu dengan helahnya sendiri, dia membuat air tasik itu kembali tenang dan tidak bergerak.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a wartime tendency to rely on māyā—cunning and manipulation—to gain advantage. Ethically, it points to the contrast between force guided by dharma (openness, restraint, fairness) and force guided by adharma (control through deception), reminding readers that ends pursued through illusion often signal moral decline.
Sañjaya narrates that Duryodhana hears the words of the powerful warriors present, agrees verbally (“tathā”), and then uses a stratagem to make the lake’s water still again—suggesting an act of concealment or tactical control over the environment in the ongoing conflict.