Shloka 9
स्त्रीपर्व — गान्धारीभीमसेनसंवादः
Strī-parva — Gāndhārī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Wartime Conduct
सा तथा याच्यमाना त्वं काले काले जयैषिणा । उक्तवत्यसि गान्धारि यतो धर्मस्ततो जय:,“इस प्रकार जब विजयाभिलाषी दुर्योधन समय-समयपर तुमसे प्रार्थना करता था, तब तुम सदा यही उत्तर देती थी कि “जहाँ धर्म है, वहीं विजय है”
sā tathā yācyamānā tvaṃ kāle kāle jayaiṣiṇā | uktavaty asi gāndhāri yato dharmas tato jayaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Demikianlah, apabila Duryodhana yang mengejar kemenangan sering merayu pada waktu-waktu tertentu, wahai Gāndhārī, engkau sentiasa menjawab yang sama: ‘Di mana ada dharma, di situlah kemenangan.’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts an ethical principle of moral causality: true and lasting victory aligns with dharma. Success pursued without righteousness is unstable and ultimately self-defeating, whereas dharma is presented as the decisive ground of legitimate triumph.
Vaiśampāyana recounts that Duryodhana, eager for victory, repeatedly approached Gāndhārī for support or reassurance. Each time, she responded with the same admonition—victory belongs to the side grounded in dharma—implicitly warning him about the consequences of adharma.