Shloka 25

अध्याय २६ — युद्ध-निन्दा, काम-दोष, तथा धार्तराष्ट्र-नीति-विश्लेषण

War-aversion, Desire as a Policy Fault, and Analysis of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Governance

Devanagari script

कृप: शल्य: सौमदत्तिविकर्णो विविंशति: कर्णदुर्योधनौ च | एतान्‌ हत्वा कीदृशं तत्‌ सुखं स्याद्‌ यद्‌ विन्देथास्तदनु ब्रूहि पार्थ

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

kṛpaḥ śalyaḥ saumadattivikārṇo viviṁśatiḥ karṇaduryodhanau ca |

etān hatvā kīdṛśaṁ tat sukhaṁ syād yad vindethās tad anu brūhi pārtha kuntīnandana ||

Translation

桑阇耶说道：“克利帕、沙利耶、娑摩达多之子（布胡利施罗婆斯）、毗迦尔那、毗毗ṁ沙底，以及迦尔那与都利约陀那——若你杀尽这些人，你所盼得的究竟是何等幸福？告诉我吧，哦，帕尔塔，昆蒂之子。”

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'kṛpaḥ': 'Kṛpa (Kṛpācārya), the preceptor/warrior on the Kaurava side', 'śalyaḥ': 'Śalya, king of Madra, a major Kaurava ally', 'saumadattiḥ': 'son of Somadatta

• epithet pointing to Bhūriśravas', 'vikārṇaḥ': 'Vikarna, a Kaurava prince (son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'viviṁśatiḥ': 'Viviṁśati, a Kaurava prince (son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'karṇaḥ': 'Karṇa, chief ally of Duryodhana', 'duryodhanaḥ': 'Duryodhana, eldest Kaurava, principal antagonist', 'etān': 'these (persons)', 'hatvā': 'having slain, after killing', 'kīdṛśam': 'of what sort? what kind?', 'tat sukham': 'that happiness/pleasure', 'syāt': 'could be, would be', 'yad': 'which', 'vindethāḥ': 'you would obtain/attain', 'tad anu brūhi': 'therefore tell (me) / speak about that', 'pārtha': 'son of Pṛthā (Kuntī)

• Arjuna', 'kuntīnandana': 'son of Kuntī

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna (Pārtha, Kuntīnandana)
• Kṛpa (Kṛpācārya)
• Śalya
• Somadatta
• Bhūriśravas (Saumadatti)
• Vikarna
• Viviṁśati
• Karṇa
• Duryodhana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a moral challenge: even if victory is possible, what genuine ‘happiness’ can arise from killing revered elders, kinsmen, and renowned warriors? It presses the listener to examine ends versus means and to justify war in terms of dharma rather than mere gain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a pointed question addressed to Arjuna (Pārtha): if Arjuna seeks some benefit through battle, he must explain what happiness he expects after slaying leading Kaurava champions—Kṛpa, Śalya, Bhūriśravas, Vikarna, Viviṁśati, Karṇa, and Duryodhana.