Shloka 11
Ghaṭotkaca Slays Alāyudha (Night Battle and Māyā Countermeasures) / घटोत्कचेन अलायुधवधः
त एते घ्नन्ति नस्तात विशिखा: पार्थचोदिता: । तांस्तदा55ख्यायमानस्त्वं विदुरेण न बुद्धवान्
ta ete ghnanti nas tāta viśikhāḥ pārthacoditāḥ | tāṁs tadā khyāyamānas tvaṁ vidureṇa na buddhavān |
Sañjaya said: “O dear father, these arrows—impelled by Pārtha (Arjuna)—are striking down our men. Yet even as Vidura clearly pointed this out to you at that time, you did not understand.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical cost of ignoring wise counsel: Vidura had warned and clarified the danger, but Dhṛtarāṣṭra failed to grasp it. In the Mahābhārata’s moral frame, such refusal to understand dharmic advice leads to predictable suffering and loss.
Sañjaya reports battlefield reality to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Arjuna’s arrows are cutting down the Kaurava forces. He then reminds Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Vidura had earlier made the situation and its consequences clear, yet Dhṛtarāṣṭra did not take it to heart.