Shloka 236
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
श्रुत्वा पतींक्ष पुत्रांश्ष पाण्डवैर्निहतान् युधि । “आज हस्तिनापुरकी वे सारी स्त्रियाँ भी युद्धमें पाण्डवोंके हाथसे अपने पतियों और पुत्रोंको मारा गया सुनकर फूट-फूटकर रोयेंगी
śrutvā patīn putrāṁś ca pāṇḍavair nihatān yudhi |
Sañjaya said: Hearing that their husbands and sons have been slain in battle by the Pāṇḍavas, the women of Hastināpura will wail and weep uncontrollably.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical cost of war: even when framed as a righteous struggle, the immediate human result is bereavement. It draws attention to the suffering of non-combatants—especially women—whose lives are shattered by the deaths of husbands and sons.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, anticipates the reaction in Hastināpura: upon hearing that the Pāṇḍavas have slain many men in battle, the city’s women will break down in intense mourning.