Shloka 169
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
मिषतो भीमसेनस्य हैडिम्बे: पार्षतस्य च । यमयोर्धर्मपुत्रस्य विजयस्याच्युतस्य च,भीमसेन, घटोत्कच, धृष्टद्युम्न, नकुल, सहदेव, धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठचिर, अर्जुन और भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके देखते-देखते यह सब कुछ हो गया
miṣato bhīmasenasya haiḍimbeḥ pārṣatasya ca | yamayor dharmaputrasya vijayasyācyutasya ca ||
Sañjaya said: All this took place before the very eyes of Bhīmasena, the Haiḍimba (Ghaṭotkaca), the son of Pṛṣat (Dhṛṣṭadyumna), the twin brothers (Nakula and Sahadeva), Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira), Vijaya (Arjuna), and Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral reality of war: even the greatest warriors and even Kṛṣṇa as witness cannot always avert sudden destructive turns. It points to the limits of human agency amid the momentum of battle and the unfolding of destiny, urging sobriety about violence and its consequences.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a significant event (a sudden turn or calamity in the battle) occurred in full view of the principal Pāṇḍava champions—Bhīma, Ghaṭotkaca, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Nakula, Sahadeva, Yudhiṣṭhira, Arjuna—and Kṛṣṇa.