Shloka 4
द्रोणाभिमुखानां निवारण-युद्धम् / Interceptions on the Droṇa-front
स एव महतीं सेनां समावर्तयदाहवे । किमन्यद् दैवसंयोगान्मम पुत्रस्य चाभवत्
sa eva mahatīṃ senāṃ samāvartayad āhave | kim anyad daivasaṃyogān mama putrasya cābhavat |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra sagte: „Er allein brachte jenes gewaltige Heer mitten im Kampf wieder in Ordnung. Was anderes hätte meinem Sohn widerfahren können, wenn nicht durch das Zusammentreffen des Schicksals?“
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between human agency and destiny: even clear battlefield leadership is interpreted by Dhṛtarāṣṭra through the lens of daiva (fate), suggesting how attachment and anxiety can shift responsibility away from ethical self-assessment toward fatalism.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on a moment in the battle when a single leader managed to restore or regroup a large army. He then wonders whether his son’s situation could have turned out otherwise, implying that events unfolded due to destiny’s arrangement.