Shloka 66
Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
तथैवायं गदापाणिर्धातिराष्ट्री गतक्लम: । न शकक््यो धर्मतो हन्तुं कालेनापीह दण्डिना
tathaivāyaṃ gadāpāṇir dhārtarāṣṭrī gataklamaḥ | na śakyo dharmato hantuṃ kālenāpīha daṇḍinā ||
సంజయుడు పలికెను—ఈ గదాధారి ధృతరాష్ట్రపుత్రుడు యుద్ధక్లాంతి లేనివాడు; ధర్మసమ్మతమైన విధానంతో ఇక్కడ దండధారి కాలుడుకూడా ఇతనిని సంహరించలేడు।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts dharma with sheer power: even a formidable warrior may appear ‘unassailable’ within the bounds of righteous combat, suggesting that outcomes in war are constrained by ethical codes and also ultimately governed by Kāla (Time/Death), which transcends human calculation.
Sañjaya describes Duryodhana on the battlefield as tireless and extraordinarily hard to defeat. He emphasizes that, within the rules of dharma-yuddha, slaying him seems impossible—hyperbolically stating that even Kāla, the cosmic punisher, could not kill him by ‘righteous’ means in that moment.