Shloka 34
Duryodhana-vadha-pratikriyā: Harṣa, Nindā, and Kṛṣṇa’s Nīti-vyākhyā (Śalya-parva 60)
दुर्योधनस्यथ भीमेन मृद्यमानं शिर: पदा । उपप्रेक्षसि कस्मात् त्वं धर्मज्ञ: सन्नराधिप,श्रीकृष्णने पूछा--धर्मराज! आप चुप होकर अधर्मका अनुमोदन क्यों कर रहे हैं? नरेश्वर दुर्योधनके भाई और सहायक मारे जा चुके हैं। यह पृथ्वीपर गिरकर अचेत हो रहा है। ऐसी दशामें भीमसेन इसके मस्तकको पैरसे कुचल रहे हैं। आप धर्मज्ञ होकर समीपसे ही यह सब कैसे देख रहे हैं
duryodhanasya atha bhīmena mṛdyamānaṃ śiraḥ padā | upaprekṣasi kasmāt tvaṃ dharmajñaḥ sann arādhipa ||
«Khi đầu của Duryodhana đang bị Bhīma giẫm nát dưới chân, cớ sao bệ hạ chỉ đứng nhìn? Bệ hạ vốn là người am tường dharma, vậy mà đứng ngay bên cạnh vẫn lặng im chứng kiến—một sự hành hạ kẻ thù đã ngã xuống, bất lực—mà không ngăn lại ư?»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, dharma imposes limits: harming a fallen, helpless opponent is condemned, and a dharma-knower bears responsibility not to silently permit wrongdoing. The verse presses the ethical duty of restraint and moral intervention, not mere spectatorship.
After Duryodhana has been brought down and is incapacitated, Bhīma presses his foot upon Duryodhana’s head. Vāyudeva addresses Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira), questioning why he stands nearby and watches despite knowing dharma, implying that such an act violates proper conduct toward a defeated foe.