Shloka 28
Duryodhana-vadha-pratikriyā: Harṣa, Nindā, and Kṛṣṇa’s Nīti-vyākhyā (Śalya-parva 60)
दुर्योधनो5पि धर्मात्मा गतिं यास्यति शाश्वतीम् । ऋणजुयोधी हतो राजा धार्तराष्ट्री नराधिप:
duryodhano 'pi dharmātmā gatiṁ yāsyati śāśvatīm | ṛṇajuyodhī hato rājā dhārtarāṣṭrī narādhipaḥ ||
三阇耶说道：“即便是杜尤陀那，既具达摩之性，也将获得永恒的归宿。那位国王——人中之主、持国王之子——是在正面坦荡作战之时被杀，如同在战场上偿还自身之债；因此他将抵达永恒的善境。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key epic ethic: even a condemned antagonist may be granted a ‘good’ posthumous destiny if he meets death while fulfilling the kṣatriya code—fighting openly and steadfastly, discharging obligations without deceit. It highlights the Mahābhārata’s nuanced moral lens, where conduct in action (especially at life’s end) can carry decisive ethical weight.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana has been killed. He characterizes Duryodhana’s final combat as straightforward and duty-bound, and on that basis asserts that Duryodhana will attain an enduring posthumous state.