Shloka 51
रात्रौ युद्धप्रवृत्तिः — Night Battle Begins; Duryodhana’s Protective Orders for Droṇa
Droṇa-parva 139
हतो विकर्णों राजेन्द्र चित्रसेनश्व वीर्यवान् | प्रवराश्षात्मजानां ते सुताश्चान्ये महारथा:
hato vikarṇo rājendra citrasenaś ca vīryavān | pravarāś cātmajānāṁ te sutāś cānye mahārathāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O king, Vikarna has been slain, and the valiant Citrasena as well. Among your foremost sons, and other sons besides—great chariot-warriors—have also fallen.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the inexorable cost of adharma-driven conflict: even the ‘foremost’ and heroic fall in war, reminding the listener (the king) that power and lineage cannot shield one from the consequences of a destructive course.
Sañjaya reports battlefield casualties to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, specifically announcing the deaths of Vikarna and the valiant Citrasena, and indicating that other great chariot-warriors among the king’s sons have also been slain.