Shloka 60
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
एकाकी बहुभि: क्षुद्रैराहवे शुद्धविक्रम: । पातितो भीमसेनेन एकादशचमूपति:,“जो किसी दिन ग्यारह अक्षौहिणी सेनाओंका स्वामी था, वह राजा दुर्योधन विशुद्ध पराक्रमका परिचय देता हुआ अकेला युद्ध कर रहा था; किंतु बहुत-से नीच पुरुषोंने मिलकर युद्धस्थलमें उसे भीमसेनके द्वारा धराशायी करा दिया
ekākī bahubhiḥ kṣudrair āhave śuddha-vikramaḥ | pātito bhīmasenena ekādaśa-camūpatiḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: Embora lutasse sozinho no campo de batalha, exibindo um valor impecável—ele que outrora fora senhor de onze exércitos—Duryodhana foi derrubado ali por Bhīmasena, quando muitos homens vis se uniram contra ele. O verso acentua a ferida moral: a queda de um guerreiro heroico torna-se mais trágica quando o modo da derrota é pintado como coletivo e ignóbil.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between personal heroism and the ethics of how victory is achieved. Even a warrior famed for ‘pure valor’ can be undone when many act together in a way the narrator brands as ‘kṣudra’ (base), suggesting that the manner of action—not only the outcome—carries moral weight in the Mahābhārata’s vision of dharma in war.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana—once the master of immense forces—ends up fighting alone. Despite his prowess, he is felled by Bhīmasena, with the narration emphasizing that many others joined in, framing Duryodhana’s downfall as both a military defeat and a morally charged moment near the war’s conclusion.