Shloka 40
Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
सगण: ससुद्दच्चैव पाप॑ मार्गमनुष्ित: । तवैव दुष्कृतैर्वीरी भीष्मद्रोणी निपातितौ
sagaṇaḥ sasudṛḍhaccaīva pāpaṁ mārgam anuṣṭhitaḥ | tavaiva duṣkṛtair vīra bhīṣmadroṇī nipātitau ||
“Com os teus seguidores, e com sombria determinação, seguiste um caminho de pecado. Por teus próprios maus feitos, ó herói, Bhīṣma e Droṇa foram derrubados.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses moral accountability: the downfall of great figures in war is traced to one’s own adharma—wrong choices and harmful actions—rather than to fate alone. It frames consequences as arising from duṣkṛta (evil deeds) and a deliberately chosen pāpa-mārga (sinful course).
Vāyudeva addresses a warrior (vocative vīra), rebuking him for pursuing a sinful path along with his faction. He declares that due to that person’s wrongdoing, the eminent elders/commanders Bhīṣma and Droṇa have been felled in the conflict.