Shloka 326
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
नानादिग्भ्य: समाहूता: सहया: सरथद्विपा: । महाराज! आपके अपराधसे उस युद्धसस््थलमें अनेक दिशाओंसे आमन्त्रित होकर आये हुए बहुत-से राजा अपने घोड़ों, रथों और हाथियोंसहित मारे गये हैं
nānādigbhyaḥ samāhūtāḥ sahāyāḥ sarathadvipāḥ | mahārāja, tava aparādhena tasmin yuddhasthale anekadiśaḥ samāmantritāḥ bahavo rājānaḥ aśvarathagajaiḥ saha hatāḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: O großer König, durch dein Vergehen sind auf jenem Schlachtfeld viele verbündete Könige—aus allen Himmelsrichtungen herbeigerufen—gefallen, samt ihren Pferden, Streitwagen und Elefanten.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s moral failure (aparādha) does not remain personal; it spreads outward, drawing allies into catastrophe. The verse frames political responsibility as ethical responsibility: the king bears blame when his choices cause widespread loss of life and resources.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that many allied kings, summoned from different regions to support the Kauravas, have been killed on the battlefield along with their war assets—horses, chariots, and elephants—implying that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s earlier complicity and errors have led to this devastation.