Shloka 28
कर्णस्य सेनापत्यं, माकरव्यूहः, पाण्डवानामर्धचन्द्रव्यूहः
Karna’s Command; Mākara Formation; Pandava Crescent Counter-Array
वे अचेत होते-होते बोले--'संजय! दो घड़ी ठहर जाओ। तात! यह महान् अप्रिय संवाद सुनकर मेरा मन व्याकुल हो गया है, चेतना लुप्त-सी हो रही है और मैं अपने अंगोंको धारण करनेमें असमर्थ हो रहा हूँ ।। इत्येवमुक्त्वा वचन धृतराष्ट्रो3म्बिकासुतः । भ्रान्तचित्तस्तत: सो5थ बभूव जगतीपति:,ऐसा कहकर अम्बिकानन्दन राजा धृतराष्ट्र भ्रान्तचित्त (मूर्च्छित) हो गये
vaiśampāyana uvāca | aceto hote-hote 'bravīt— “sañjaya! dve ghaṭike tiṣṭha. tāta! idaṃ mahad apriya-saṃvādaṃ śrutvā mama manaḥ vyākulaṃ jātaṃ, cetanā lupta-iva bhavati, ahaṃ ca svāṅgāni dhārayituṃ na śaknomi.” iti evam uktvā vacanaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭro ’mbikā-sutaḥ | bhrānta-cittaḥ tataḥ so ’tha babhūva jagatī-patiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As his awareness was failing, he spoke: “Sañjaya, wait for two ghaṭikās. My son, on hearing this grievously unwelcome report, my mind has been thrown into turmoil; my consciousness seems to slip away, and I am unable to hold my own limbs.” Having spoken thus, King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the son of Ambikā, became bewildered in mind and fell into a swoon.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment and the burden of one’s choices can overwhelm discernment: Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing painful consequences unfolding in war, loses composure and even bodily control. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata theme that adharma-driven decisions eventually return as unbearable sorrow, shaking even a king’s steadiness.
Within the frame narrative, Sañjaya is reporting battlefield events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. On hearing an especially unwelcome update, Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya to pause for two ghaṭikās, confesses that his mind is distressed and his consciousness is slipping, and then he becomes bewildered and swoons.