Shloka 3
Rajo-dhūli-saṃmūḍha-saṅgrāmaḥ
The Dust-Obscured Battle and Mutual Charges
मन: प्रीणाति मे वाक््यं जयं संजय शृण्वत: । प्रत्युपायं चिन्तयतो लज्जां प्राप्रोति मे न हि
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | manaḥ prīṇāti me vākyaṃ jayaṃ sañjaya śṛṇvataḥ | pratyupāyaṃ cintayato lajjāṃ prāproti me na hi ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O Sañjaya, as I listen, your words delight my heart and make me feel as though victory is mine. And while I keep thinking of counter-measures, I feel no shame at all.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment to one’s side and hunger for victory can dull moral sensitivity: Dhṛtarāṣṭra admits that even while plotting counter-strategies, he feels no shame—an ethical warning about self-deception and the erosion of conscience in conflict.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra responds to Sañjaya’s battlefield report. He confesses that Sañjaya’s words please him and make him feel assured of victory, and that he continues to think of tactical responses without experiencing any moral embarrassment.