Shloka 21
Droṇanidhana-anantaraṃ sainya-viṣādaḥ and Karṇa-pravṛttiḥ
After Droṇa’s fall: army despondency and Karṇa’s advance
दुर्योधनस्य कर्णस्य भोजस्य कृतवर्मण: । मद्रराजस्य शल्यस्य द्रौणेश्वैव कृपस्य च,संजय! जब सारी सेनाएँ भाग गयीं, तब दुर्योधन, कर्ण, भोजवंशी कृतवर्मा, मद्रराज शल्य, द्रोणकुमार अश्वत्थामा, कृपाचार्य, मरनेसे बचे हुए मेरे पुत्र तथा अन्य लोगोंके मुखकी कान्ति कैसी हो गयी थी?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | duryodhanasya karṇasya bhojasya kṛtavarmaṇaḥ | madrarājasya śalyasya drauṇeś caiva kṛpasya ca, sañjaya! |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O Sañjaya, when all the armies had fled, what became of the radiance on the faces of Duryodhana, Karṇa, Kṛtavarman of the Bhoja line, Śalya the king of Madra, Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā, and Kṛpa—along with my sons who survived and the others?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly worldly power and pride collapse when collective support and righteous grounding fail. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s concern for ‘face-radiance’ points to the ethical and psychological cost of adharma: fear, shame, and loss of inner steadiness surface when circumstances turn.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya to describe the condition—especially the facial radiance and morale—of key Kaurava leaders (Duryodhana, Karṇa, Kṛtavarman, Śalya, Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa) and the surviving Kauravas after the armies have fled, indicating a moment of crisis and disarray on the battlefield.