Shloka 156
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
विरथो भीमसेनेन कृतोडसि बहुशो रणे । “सारी सेनाओंके देखते-देखते मेरे और श्रीकृष्णके सामने युद्धस्थलमें भीमसेनने तुझे अनेक बार रथहीन कर दिया है
viratho bhīmasenena kṛto 'si bahuśo raṇe | sarvāḥ senāḥ paśyantya eva mama śrīkṛṣṇasya ca samakṣaṁ yuddhasthale bhīmasenena tvaṁ anekavāraṁ rathahīnaḥ kṛto 'si ||
Sanjaya said: In battle you have been made chariotless by Bhimasena many times. Before the eyes of all the armies—right there on the field, in the presence of me and of Sri Krishna—Bhimasena has repeatedly stripped you of your chariot. The remark underscores the public, undeniable nature of martial humiliation and the ethical weight of truth spoken amid war: prowess must be measured by witnessed deeds, not by boasts.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that in war, claims of valor are accountable to public evidence: true merit is established by witnessed action. It also implies an ethical restraint—speech should align with observable truth, especially when honor and reputation are at stake.
Sanjaya reminds the addressed warrior that Bhimasena has repeatedly knocked him into a chariotless state in open battle, in full view of the assembled armies and in the presence of Krishna—emphasizing repeated defeat and public humiliation.