Shloka 12
दैवं ध्रुवं पार्थवशात् प्रवृत्तं यत् पाण्डवान् पाति हिनस्ति चास्मान् | तवार्थसिद्धयर्थकरास्तु सर्वे प्रसह वीरा निहता द्विषद्धिः
sañjaya uvāca |
daivaṃ dhruvaṃ pārthavaśāt pravṛttaṃ yat pāṇḍavān pāti hinasti cāsmān |
tavārthasiddhyarthakarāstu sarve prasaha vīrā nihatā dviṣadbhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Fate is indeed fixed, and it moves under the sway of the son of Pṛthā (Arjuna): it protects the Pāṇḍavas and destroys us. That is why nearly all the heroes who strove to accomplish your aims have been forcibly slain by the enemy.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the Kauravas’ repeated setbacks as the working of an unalterable destiny that appears to favor the Pāṇḍavas—specifically under the ‘sway of Pārtha (Arjuna).’ Ethically, it highlights how people in crisis often interpret outcomes as fate’s partiality, shifting attention from strategy and responsibility to a larger cosmic determinism.
Sañjaya reports to Duryodhana that many warriors fighting to fulfill Duryodhana’s objectives have been slain by the opposing side. He explains these losses by asserting that destiny is firmly operating in favor of the Pāṇḍavas—protecting them while bringing ruin upon the Kauravas.