Shloka 36
कर्णनिधनश्रवणम् — Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament
वसातयो महाराज द्विसाहस्तरा: प्रहारिण: । शूरसेनाश्न विक्रान्ता: सर्वे युधि निपातिता:
vasātayo mahārāja dvisāhastarāḥ prahāriṇaḥ | śūrasenāś ca vikrāntāḥ sarve yudhi nipātitāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, the Vasātayas—fighters who struck with two-thousand-strong force—and the valiant Śūrasenas, all of them, were felled in the battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim impartiality of war: strength, numbers, and valor do not guarantee survival. It implicitly cautions that martial glory is fragile and that violence consumes even the renowned, inviting reflection on the ethical weight of conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Vasātaya contingent and the brave Śūrasena warriors have all been struck down in the fighting, marking a significant loss among the combatants.