Shloka 24

मायासभायां दुर्योधनस्य अवमान-प्रसङ्गः

Duryodhana’s Humiliation in the Hall of Māyā

Devanagari script

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच अपराधशतं क्षाम्यं मया हास्य पितृष्वस: । पुत्रस्य ते वधाहस्य मा त्वं शोके मन: कृथा:,श्रीकृष्णने कहा--बुआ! तुम्हारा पुत्र अपने दोषोंके कारण मेरे द्वारा यदि वधके योग्य होगा, तो भी मैं इसके सौ अपराध क्षमा करूँगा। तुम अपने मनमें शोक न करो

Transliteration

śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca | aparādhaśataṃ kṣāmyaṃ mayā hāsya pitṛṣvasaḥ | putrasya te vadhārhasya mā tvaṃ śoke manaḥ kṛthāḥ |

Translation

Śrī Kṛṣṇa nói: “Hỡi dì (chị/em của phụ vương ta)! Dẫu con trai của dì vì những lỗi lầm của nó mà trở nên đáng bị ta xử tử, ta vẫn sẽ tha thứ cho nó một trăm lần phạm lỗi. Xin dì chớ để lòng mình chìm vào sầu khổ.”

Word by Word

श्रीकृष्णःShri Krishna

उवाचsaid

अपराधशतम्a hundred offences

क्षाम्यम्to be forgiven / forgivable

मयाby me

हास्यof the one to be slain / of the slayable one

पितृष्वसःO paternal aunt (father's sister)

पुत्रस्यof (your) son

तेof you / your

वधाहस्यof the one who deserves killing

माdo not

त्वम्you

शोकेin grief

मनःmind

कृथाःmake / do

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

pitṛṣvasā (Kṛṣṇa’s paternal aunt)

the aunt’s son (unnamed in this verse)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights kṣamā (forgiveness/forbearance) as an ethical restraint: even when punishment could be justified, one may choose measured mercy—especially to prevent grief and preserve familial and social harmony.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛṣṇa addresses his paternal aunt, reassuring her about her son: even if the son’s misconduct makes him liable to be slain, Kṛṣṇa promises to pardon a hundred offenses and urges her not to succumb to sorrow.