Shloka 2
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा स्त्रीणां च आर्तनादः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and the Lament of the Palace Women
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत कर्णपर्वमें धृतराष्ट्-अंजयसंवादविषयक दूसरा अध्याय पूरा हुआ,अवाड्ूमुखा: शस्त्रभृत: सर्व एव विशाम्पते | अप्रेक्षमाणा: शोकार्ता नाभ्यभाषन् परस्परम् प्रजानाथ! सभी शणस्त्रधारी सैनिक मुँह नीचे किये शोकसे व्याकुल हो गये। वे एक- दूसरेकी ओर न तो देखते थे और न बात ही करते थे
avāṅmukhāḥ śastrabhṛtaḥ sarva eva viśāmpate | aprekṣamāṇāḥ śokārtā nābhyabhāṣan parasparam ||
O lord of the people, all the weapon-bearing warriors, with faces cast down, were overwhelmed by grief. They neither looked at one another nor spoke among themselves—silenced by sorrow.
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological cost of war: even armed warriors can be inwardly broken by grief, and collective sorrow can suspend speech and social connection, revealing the human burden beneath martial duty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the soldiers have become downcast and grief-stricken; they avoid looking at each other and remain silent, indicating a moment of stunned despair within the battlefield setting.