Shloka 7
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
इस प्रकार युद्धस्थलमें मारे गये सैकड़ों, हजार और दस हजार योद्धा शरीरसे तो इस पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े, किंतु अपने यशसे उन्होंने सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंको पूर्ण कर दिया ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
iti prakāraṁ yuddhasthale māritāḥ saikadāḥ sahasrāṇi daśa-sahasrāṇi ca yoddhāḥ śarīreṇa tu pṛthivyāṁ nipetuḥ, yaśasā tu te sarvā diśaḥ paripūrayām āsuḥ ||
atha vaikartanaṁ karṇaṁ raṇe kruddham ivāntakam |
rurudhuḥ pāṇḍupāñcālā vyādhiṁ mantrauṣadhair iva ||
Sañjaya said: Thus, on the battlefield, hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of warriors were slain; their bodies fell upon the earth, yet by their fame they filled all the directions. Then, in the midst of battle, the Pāṇḍavas and the Pañcālas checked Vaikartana Karṇa—who raged like Death itself—restraining him with their arrows, just as physicians restrain a disease by mantras and medicines.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts bodily destruction with enduring reputation: warriors perish physically, yet their fame is portrayed as spreading in all directions. It also frames ethical admiration for valor while reminding that death is inevitable, and that even the most fearsome force can be checked through coordinated effort and skill.
After describing massive casualties, Sanjaya turns to a specific battlefield moment: Karna, furious and terrifying like Death, advances; the Pandavas together with the Panchalas restrain his onslaught with volleys of arrows, compared to doctors controlling a disease through mantras and medicines.