Shloka 27
भीमसेन–अलायुधयुद्धम् / Bhīmasena and Alāyudha: Night Engagement and Command Responses
निहत्य तान् रणे सर्वान् पञज्चालान् पाण्डवै: सह । शान्तिं लब्धास्मि तेषां वा रणे गन्ता सलोकताम्,समस्त शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ गुरुदेव! आज मैं अपने यज्ञ-यागादि तथा कुँआ, बावली बनवाने आदि शुभ कर्मोंकी, पराक्रमकी तथा पुत्रोंकी शपथ खाकर आपके सामने सच्ची प्रतिज्ञा करता हूँ कि अब मैं पाण्डवोंके सहित समस्त पांचालोंको युद्धमें मारकर ही शान्ति पाऊँगा अथवा मेरे वे सुहृद् युद्धमें मरकर जिन लोकोंमें गये हैं, उसीमें मैं भी चला जाऊँगा
nihatya tān raṇe sarvān pañcālān pāṇḍavaiḥ saha | śāntiṁ labdhāsmi teṣāṁ vā raṇe gantā salokatām ||
पाण्डवैः सह तान् सर्वान् पाञ्चालान् रणे निहत्य शान्तिं लप्स्ये; अथवा रणे हतानां तेषां सुहृदां यां सलोकतां गताः, तामेव सलोकतां गमिष्यामि।
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how fixation on revenge and victory can be mistaken for “peace.” Duryodhana equates inner relief with the annihilation of enemies, revealing a moral blindness where personal turmoil is projected outward and sought to be resolved through violence; the alternative he accepts is death and joining the fallen—showing a hardened, fatalistic resolve rather than reflective dharma.
In the Drona Parva’s intense war setting, Duryodhana declares a stark resolve: he will either kill the Pañcālas along with the Pāṇḍavas and thereby feel satisfied, or he will die in battle and reach the same realm as his comrades who have already fallen. It is a rallying, uncompromising statement of determination amid escalating slaughter.