Shloka 48
अध्याय ९ — दुर्योधनस्य अन्त्यावस्था, विलापः, तथा सौप्तिक-प्रतिवृत्तम्
Duryodhana’s Final Condition, Lamentation, and the Night’s Report
दुर्योधन जीवसि त्वं वाक्यं श्रोत्रसुखं शूणु । सप्त पाण्डवत: शेषा धार्तराष्ट्रासत्रयो वयम्
duryodhana jīvasi tvaṁ vākyaṁ śrotrasukhaṁ śṛṇu | sapta pāṇḍavataḥ śeṣā dhārtarāṣṭrās trayo vayam ||
সঞ্জয় বললেন— “দুর্যোধন! তুমি জীবিত আছ; কর্ণসুখকর বাক্য শোনো। পাণ্ডবদের মধ্যে সাতজন অবশিষ্ট, আর ধৃতরাষ্ট্রপক্ষে আমরা তিনজন।”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral irony of war: even when one side seeks comfort in ‘pleasing words,’ the reality is reduced to a grim tally of survivors. It underscores how attachment to victory-talk can mask the ethical devastation and the irreversible consequences of adharma-driven conflict.
In the Sauptika Parva’s aftermath, a report is being conveyed to the wounded Duryodhana. The speaker urges him to listen to ‘ear-pleasing’ news and then states the remaining numbers on each side—seven among the Pāṇḍava camp and three among the Dhārtarāṣṭras—framing the situation as a strategic update amid the night-raid context of this parva.