Shloka 2
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa
रथभज़ो बभूवास्य थनुर्वाशीर्यतास्यत: । प्रमत्तो वाभवद् द्रोणस्ततो मृत्युमुपेयिवान्,उनका रथ टूट गया था या बाणोंका प्रहार करते समय धनुष ही खण्डित हो गया था अथवा द्रोणाचार्य असावधान थे, जिससे उनकी मृत्यु हो गयी?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | rathabhagno babhūvāsya dhanur vā śīryatāsyataḥ | pramatto vābhavad droṇas tato mṛtyum upeyivān ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Was his chariot shattered, or did his bow break while he was discharging arrows? Or was Droṇa inattentive—so that, as a result, he met with death?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral-psychological inquiry into downfall: even a great warrior’s end may arise from external damage (chariot/bow) or from inner lapse (inattention). It highlights how vigilance and presence of mind are ethically significant in the Mahābhārata’s war narrative.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya to clarify the immediate cause behind Droṇa’s death—whether it was due to his equipment failing (chariot or bow) or because Droṇa became careless, leading to his being slain.