Shloka 23
Droṇanidhana-anantaraṃ sainya-viṣādaḥ and Karṇa-pravṛttiḥ
After Droṇa’s fall: army despondency and Karṇa’s advance
एतत् सर्व यथावृत्तं तथा गावल्गणे मम । आचक्ष्व पाण्डवेयानां मामकानां च विक्रमम्,गवल्गणकुमार! मेरे तथा पाण्डुके पुत्रोंके पराक्रमसे सम्बन्ध रखनेवाला यह सारा वत्तान्त यथार्थरूपसे मुझे कह सुनाओ
etat sarvaṃ yathāvṛttaṃ tathā gāvalgaṇe mama | ācakṣva pāṇḍaveyānāṃ māmakānāṃ ca vikramam, gāvalgaṇakumāra ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O son of Gāvalgaṇa, tell me truthfully and in full just as it happened—recount the deeds of valor of the sons of Pāṇḍu and of my own men. Narrate to me the entire course of events connected with their prowess.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical demand for yathāvṛtta—reporting events exactly as they occurred. Even amid war and familial bias (“my men” vs. “Pāṇḍu’s sons”), the king asks for an accurate account, highlighting the value of truthful narration and responsible listening.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses Sañjaya (called ‘son of Gāvalgaṇa’) and requests a complete, factual narration of the battlefield exploits—both of the Pāṇḍavas and of the Kaurava forces—so he can understand how the conflict is unfolding.