Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
पूर्वरनुगतो मार्गों देवैरसुरघातिभि: । सद्धिश्वानुगतः पन्था: स सर्वैरनुगम्यते,“असुरोंका विनाश करनेवाले पूर्ववर्ती देवताओंने इस मार्गका आश्रय लिया है। श्रेष्ठ पुरुष जिस मार्गसे चले हैं, उसका सभी लोग अनुसरण करते हैं
pūrvarānugato mārgo devair asuraghātibhiḥ | saddhiśvānugataḥ panthāḥ sa sarvair anugamyate ||
Sañjaya nói: “Con đường xưa kia các chư thiên—những bậc diệt trừ A-tu-la—đã đi, nay lại được tiếp nối. Con đường mà bậc cao quý, người thiện lương đã bước qua, chính con đường ấy muôn người noi theo.”
संजय उवाच
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.