Shloka 3
Droṇanidhana-anantaraṃ sainya-viṣādaḥ and Karṇa-pravṛttiḥ
After Droṇa’s fall: army despondency and Karṇa’s advance
स तमुद्वीक्ष्य राजानं कश्मलाभिहतौजसम् | ववन्दे प्राञ्जलि र्भूत्वा मूर्थ्ना पादौ नृपस्य ह,मोहवश जिनके बल और उत्साह नष्ट हो गये थे, उन राजा धृतराष्ट्रका दर्शन करके संजयने उनके चरणोंमें मस्तक झुकाकर हाथ जोड़ प्रणाम किया
sa tam udvīkṣya rājānaṁ kaśmalābhihatāujasam | vavande prāñjalir bhūtvā mūrdhnā pādau nṛpasya ha ||
Seeing the king—Dhṛtarāṣṭra—whose strength and spirit had been struck down by anguish, Sañjaya bowed with folded hands and, lowering his head to the monarch’s feet, offered reverent homage.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid catastrophe and inner collapse (kaśmala), dharma expresses itself through disciplined conduct—reverence, restraint, and faithful service. Sañjaya’s respectful salutation models the ethic of duty to one’s role and to the suffering elder-king.
Sañjaya approaches Dhṛtarāṣṭra, perceives him overwhelmed and weakened by anguish, and formally pays homage by joining his hands and bowing his head to the king’s feet—setting a solemn tone for the report of events.