Shloka 18
Uttanka’s Inquiry and Vāsudeva’s Adhyātma Exposition
Guṇa–Ritual–Immanence Teaching
ततो यमक्षयं जग्मु: समासाद्येतरेतरम् । पज्चैव पाण्डवा: शिष्टा हतामित्रा हतात्मजा: । धार्रराष्ट्रश्न निहता: सर्वे ससुतबान्धवा:,इसीलिये वे आपसमें लड़-भिड़कर यमलोक जा पहुँचे। इस युद्धमें केवल पाँच पाण्डव ही अपने शत्रुओंको मारकर जीवित बच गये हैं। उनके पुत्र भी मार डाले गये हैं। धृतराष्ट्रके सभी पुत्र, जो गान्धारीके पेटसे पैदा हुए थे, अपने पुत्र और बान्धवोंसहित नष्ट हो गये
tato yamakṣayaṁ jagmuḥ samāsādya itaretaram | pañcaiva pāṇḍavāḥ śiṣṭā hatāmitrā hatātmajāḥ | dhārtarāṣṭrāś ca nihatāḥ sarve sasutabāndhavāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, closing upon one another, they went to the abode of Yama, meeting their end in mutual combat. In that war, only the five Pāṇḍavas remained alive, having slain their enemies, yet their own sons were also killed. All the Dhārtarāṣṭras—the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra born of Gāndhārī—were destroyed, together with their sons and kinsmen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a side ‘wins’ a war, the ethical and human cost can be total: hatred and adharma consume both victor and vanquished. The verse highlights the tragic symmetry of destruction—enemies are slain, but one’s own sons and kin are also lost—warning that violence fractures lineage, joy, and moral order.
Vaiśampāyana summarizes the outcome of the great conflict: the combatants meet death and go to Yama’s realm. Only the five Pāṇḍavas remain alive, though their sons are dead; Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons (the Dhārtarāṣṭras), born of Gāndhārī, are all annihilated along with their sons and relatives.