Shloka 41
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
शकुनि: सौबलो यत्र कैतव्यश्व॒ महाबल: । निहत: सबलो वीर: किमन्यद् भागधेयत:,जहाँ सुबलपुत्र महाबली शकुनि और उस जुआरीका पुत्र वीर उलूक दोनों ही सेनासहित मार डाले गये, वहाँ भाग्यके सिवा दूसरा क्या कारण हो सकता है?
śakuniḥ saubalo yatra kaitavyaś ca mahābalaḥ | nihataḥ sabalo vīraḥ kim anyad bhāgadhēyataḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „Als der mächtige Śakuni, Sohn des Subala, und der tapfere Ulūka—Sohn jenes Spielers—zusammen mit ihren Heeren erschlagen wurden, welche Ursache kann es geben außer dem Schicksal?“
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a common Mahābhārata tension: attributing catastrophic outcomes to destiny (bhāgadhēya) versus acknowledging human agency and ethical responsibility. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s lament frames the deaths as fate, implicitly softening blame for choices that led to war.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on the fall of key Kaurava-aligned figures—Śakuni and Ulūka—killed along with their forces. He interprets their defeat as the working of destiny, expressing grief and helplessness as the Kaurava cause collapses.