Mahabharata 9.59.2 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 59, Shloka 2
Chapter 59: Baladeva’s Censure, Keśava’s Restraint, and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Moral Accounting
संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! दुर्योधनको ऊँचे एवं विशाल शालवृक्षके समान गिराया गया देख समस्त पाण्डव मन-ही-मन बड़े प्रसन्न हुए और निकट जाकर उसे देखने लगे ।।
sañjaya uvāca | rājann duryodhanaṃ ūñce evaṃ viśālaśālavṛkṣa-sadṛśaṃ girāyitaṃ dṛṣṭvā samastāḥ pāṇḍavā manomanaṃ mahāprītā abhavan, samīpaṃ gatvā taṃ draṣṭum ārabdhāḥ || unmattaṃ iva mātaṅgaṃ siṃhena vinipātitam | dadṛśur hṛṣṭaromāṇaḥ sarve te cāpi somakāḥ ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: O Hari, nang makita nilang si Duryodhana ay napabagsak—gaya ng mataas at napakalaking punong śāla na napatumba—nagalak sa loob ang mga Pāṇḍava at lumapit upang pagmasdan siya. Gayundin ang mga Somaka; nang makita nilang nakahandusay si Duryodhana na parang dambuhalang elepanteng nagngangalit sa pagkalasing ng rut na pinabagsak ng isang leon, sila’y napasigaw sa tuwa at kinilabutan ang buong katawan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral complexity of battle: the fall of a powerful wrongdoer can bring relief and even joy, yet that exhilaration itself reveals how war disturbs the inner balance of all parties. It implicitly contrasts the inevitability of consequences for adharma with the need for restraint and sobriety even in victory.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana has been struck down. The Pāṇḍavas and the Somakas approach to see him and react with visible excitement, described through similes of a great śāla tree felled and a rut-maddened elephant brought down by a lion.
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