Shloka 68
Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
पूर्वरनुगतो मार्गों देवैरसुरघातिभि: । सद्धिश्वानुगतः पन्था: स सर्वैरनुगम्यते
pūrvarānugato mārgo devair asuraghātibhiḥ | saddhiśvānugataḥ panthāḥ sa sarvair anugamyate ||
สัญชัยกล่าวว่า “หนทางที่เหล่าเทพผู้ปราบอสูรในกาลก่อนเคยดำเนิน ได้ถูกยึดถืออีกครั้ง หนทางที่สัตบุรุษและผู้ประเสริฐเคยก้าวไป หนทางนั้นแลที่ชนทั้งปวงพากันดำเนินตาม”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that dharma becomes authoritative through the precedent set by the virtuous: when the noble adopt a path, it naturally becomes the model that others follow. Ethical leadership and exemplary conduct shape collective behavior.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, inserts a reflective maxim: just as the ancient gods took a certain course in overcoming destructive forces (Asuras), so too the righteous course established by the good is the one people generally imitate—framing the war narrative within a moral lens of following proven righteous precedent.