Shloka 14
शल्यवधे कौरवसेनाभङ्गः, भीमस्य गदायुद्धं, दुर्योधनस्य समाह्वानम्
Rout after Śalya’s fall; Bhīma’s mace engagement; Duryodhana’s rally
पज्चालाक्ष महावीर्या: शिखण्डी च महारथ: । *धृष्टद्युम्न, सात्यकि, द्रौपदीके सभी पुत्र, महापराक्रमी पांचाल और महारथी शिखण्डी --ये सब कहाँ हैं?' ।। एवं तान् वादिन: शूरान् द्रौपदेया महारथा:
Pañcālāś ca mahāvīryāḥ śikhaṇḍī ca mahārathaḥ | dhṛṣṭadyumno sātyakiś ca draupadeyā mahārathāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Where are those mighty heroes of the Pañcālas—Śikhaṇḍī, the great chariot-warrior; Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Sātyaki; and the Draupadeyas, the great chariot-fighters, the sons of Draupadī?” Thus he speaks of those valiant warriors—Draupadī’s sons—revealing the grievous uncertainty and moral weight of war, where even renowned champions can vanish into the battle’s chaos and fate.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly power and reputation in the face of war and destiny: even the greatest heroes can be suddenly unaccounted for. Ethically, it points to the sorrowful cost of conflict and the uncertainty that follows when dharma is tested on the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports an anxious inquiry about the whereabouts of key Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors—Pañcāla champions like Śikhaṇḍī and Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the ally Sātyaki, and Draupadī’s sons—suggesting confusion and concern amid the intense fighting of the Śalya Parva.