Shloka 1
Karṇa-nidhana-śravaṇa, Kṣaya-Varṇana, and Śeṣa-sainika-nirdeśa
Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall, Accounting of Losses, and Naming of Remaining Warriors
चतुथों5 ध्याय: धृतराष्ट्रका शोक और समस्त स्त्रियोंकी व्याकुलता वैशम्पायन उवाच एतच्छुत्वा महाराज धृतराष्ट्रोअम्बिकासुतः । शोकस्यान्तमपश्यन् वै हतं मेने सुयोधनम्
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: etac chrutvā mahārāja dhṛtarāṣṭro ’mbikāsutaḥ | śokasyāntam apaśyan vai hataṃ mene suyodhanam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Hearing this, O King, Dhṛtarāṣṭra—the son of Ambikā—finding no end to his grief, indeed concluded that Suyodhana had been slain.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how overwhelming grief can eclipse discernment: when one cannot ‘see an end’ to sorrow, the mind tends to settle on the most devastating conclusion. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, this reflects the human cost of adharma-driven conflict and the inner collapse that follows attachment and loss.
After hearing the reported events, Dhṛtarāṣṭra becomes consumed by grief and, unable to find any limit to it, assumes that his son Suyodhana (Duryodhana) has been killed. This sets the tone for lamentation and agitation in the royal household.