Shloka 28
अध्याय ९ — दुर्योधनस्य अन्त्यावस्था, विलापः, तथा सौप्तिक-प्रतिवृत्तम्
Duryodhana’s Final Condition, Lamentation, and the Night’s Report
'प्रभो! भरतनन्दन! वे वृष्णिकुलभूषण बलराम राजाओंकी सभामें सदा आपकी प्रशंसा करते हुए कहते थे कि “कुरुराज दुर्योधन गदायुद्धमें मेरा शिष्य है” ।।
prabho bharatanandana te vṛṣṇikulabhūṣaṇo balarāmo rājñāṁ sabhāyāṁ sadā tava praśaṁsāṁ kurvan evam āha—“kururājo duryodhano gadāyuddhe mama śiṣyaḥ” iti | yāṁ gatiṁ kṣatriyasyāhuḥ praśastāṁ paramarṣayaḥ | hatasyābhimukhasyājau prāptas tvam asi tāṁ gatim ||
Wika ni Sanjaya: “O panginoon, O ligaya ng angkan ng Bharata! Si Balarama, hiyas ng lahing Vrishni, ay laging pumupuri sa iyo sa mga kapulungan ng mga hari, na nagsasabing: ‘Si Haring Duryodhana ng mga Kuru ay aking alagad sa pakikipaglaban gamit ang pamalo.’ At ang dakilang hantungan na pinupuri ng mga dakilang rishi para sa isang kshatriya—yaong napatay sa digmaan habang kaharap ang kaaway—naabot mo ang hantungang iyon.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse affirms a classical kshatriya ideal: to meet the enemy directly and, if slain while confronting the foe, to attain a ‘praśastā gati’—a praised destiny—endorsed by seers. It also frames martial excellence within a lineage of instruction (Balarama as teacher), linking reputation, duty, and the ethics of facing battle without turning away.
Sanjaya addresses a Bharata prince and recalls how Balarama publicly praised Duryodhana in royal courts as his disciple in mace-fighting. He then declares that the addressee has attained the honored end described by sages for a warrior who dies in battle while facing the opponent.