Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 2
Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana
The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint
अनयोर्वीरियोर्युद्धे को ज्यायानू भवतो मतः । कस्य वा को गुणो भूयानेतद् वद जनार्दन,“जनार्दन! आपकी रायमें इन दोनों वीरोंमेंसे इस युद्धस्थलमें कौन बड़ा है अथवा किसमें कौन-सा गुण अधिक है? यह मुझे बताइये”
sañjaya uvāca |
anayor vīrayor yuddhe ko jyāyān u bhavato mataḥ |
kasyavā ko guṇo bhūyān etad vada janārdana ||
“Janārdana, dalam pertarungan antara dua wira ini, pada pertimbangan-Mu siapakah yang lebih unggul? Atau pada siapa, kelebihan apakah yang lebih menonjol? Katakanlah kepadaku.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames greatness not only as victory or strength but as a question of predominant guṇa—excellence or merit—inviting an ethical evaluation of warriors beyond mere outcomes.
Sañjaya addresses Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa) and asks for an assessment of two opposing heroes engaged in battle—who is superior, and what distinctive quality each chiefly possesses.
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