Shloka 21
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — इरावान्-आवन्त्ययोः युद्धम्, घटोत्कच-भगदत्त-संघर्षः, मद्रेश्वर-विक्षेपः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Irāvān vs the Avanti princes; Ghaṭotkaca vs Bhagadatta; Śalya checked by the Mādrī twins
ईदृशो5पि बलौघस्तु संयुक्त: शस्त्रसम्पदा । वध्यते यत्र संग्रामे किमन्यद् भागधेयत:,इतना बड़ा सैन्यसमुदाय शस्त्रसम्पत्तिसे संयुक्त होनेपर भी यदि संग्राममें विनष्ट हो रहा है, तो इसमें भाग्यके सिवा और क्या कारण हो सकता है?
īdṛśo 'pi balaughas tu saṁyuktaḥ śastra-sampadā | vadhyate yatra saṅgrāme kim anyad bhāgadhayataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Even such a vast mass of troops, though fully furnished with weapons and martial resources, is being cut down in battle. What other cause can there be for this, except destiny—one’s allotted fate?
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Material strength—numbers, weapons, and resources—does not guarantee victory; the verse foregrounds bhāgadhaya (allotted fate) as a decisive factor, inviting reflection on the limits of human control amid dharmic and karmic forces.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that despite the Kaurava side possessing a huge, well-armed host, it is still being destroyed in the fighting; he interprets this reversal as evidence of destiny operating on the battlefield.