Shloka 35
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
प्राय: स्त्रीशेषम भवज्जगत् कालेन मोहितम् । सप्त पाण्डवत: शेषा धार्तराष्ट्रास्त्रयो रथा:
prāyaḥ strī-śeṣam abhavaj jagat kālena mohitam | sapta pāṇḍavataḥ śeṣā dhārtarāṣṭrās trayo rathāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “In truth, as Time’s delusion spread, the world has been left mostly with women as survivors. On the Pāṇḍavas’ side, seven remain; among the Dhṛtarāṣṭras, only three chariot-warriors have been spared.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war, driven onward by Kāla (Time) and human delusion, leaves society shattered—its protectors and leaders gone—so that the burden of survival and grief falls largely upon those left behind, especially women. It is a sober ethical reflection on the true cost of victory.
Vaiśampāyana reports the post-battle situation: most warriors have been slain, and the living are few. He counts the remaining chariot-warriors—seven on the Pāṇḍava side and three among the Dhārtarāṣṭras—emphasizing the near-total destruction caused by the war.