Shloka 19
Rajo-dhūli-saṃmūḍha-saṅgrāmaḥ
The Dust-Obscured Battle and Mutual Charges
स संजय महाप्राज्ञो द्रुपदस्थात्मजो बली । धृष्टद्युम्न: किमकरोच्छवेते युधि निपातिते,संजय! ट्रपदके परम बुद्धिमान पुत्र बलवान धृष्टद्युम्नने श्वेतके युद्धमें मारे जानेपर क्या किया?
sa sañjaya mahāprājño drupadasthātmajo balī | dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ kim akaroc chvete yudhi nipātite, sañjaya ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O Sañjaya, when Śveta was struck down in battle, what did the mighty Dhṛṣṭadyumna—Drupada’s son, a man of great intelligence—do then?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical pressure of kṣatriya leadership in war: when a prominent warrior falls, commanders are judged by their response—whether they uphold duty with steadiness, strategic clarity, and responsibility toward their troops rather than collapsing into despair.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about the immediate reaction of Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the Pāṇḍava-side commander and son of Drupada, after the warrior Śveta is slain on the battlefield.