Shloka 43
दिव्यमस्त्रं विकुर्वाणान् प्रसहेद् वा परान् मम । अन्यो दुर्योधनात् कर्णाच्छकुने श्वापि सौबलात्
divyam astraṁ vikurvāṇān prasahed vā parān mama | anyo duryodhanāt karṇāc chakuneḥ śvāpi saubalāt ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Who else among my side could withstand the enemy while they unleash celestial weapons—other than Duryodhana, Karṇa, or even Śakuni, the son of Subala?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment to one’s own faction narrows judgment: Dhṛtarāṣṭra measures worth chiefly by who can ‘withstand’ violence and divine weaponry, revealing a war-centered ethic that sidelines broader dharma and responsibility.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of intense fighting involving celestial weapons, anxiously considers who among the Kauravas is capable of resisting the enemy, naming Duryodhana, Karṇa, and Śakuni (son of Subala) as the principal supports of his side.