Shloka 26
Karṇa-nidhana-śravaṇa, Kṣaya-Varṇana, and Śeṣa-sainika-nirdeśa
Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall, Accounting of Losses, and Naming of Remaining Warriors
आर्तनादो महानासीत् स्त्रीणां भरतसत्तम । भरतश्रेष्ठ जनमेजय! राजाओंमें सर्वश्रेष्ठ धृतराष्ट्रके व्याकुल होकर पृथ्वीपर गिर जानेसे महलमें स्त्रियोंका महान् आर्तनाद गूँज उठा
ārtanādo mahān āsīt strīṇāṃ bharatasattama | bharataśreṣṭha janamejaya rājñāṃ śreṣṭhasya dhṛtarāṣṭrasya vyākulaḥ pṛthivyāṃ nipatitasya mahale strīṇāṃ mahān ātanādaḥ pratyanunādayat ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Oh el mejor de los Bhāratas, oh Janamejaya, el más preeminente entre los Bhāratas—cuando Dhṛtarāṣṭra, el más grande entre los reyes, se vio sobrecogido y cayó al suelo, en el palacio se alzó un gran clamor de angustia de las mujeres. La escena muestra que las calamidades de la guerra no quedan confinadas al campo de batalla: despedazan el mundo íntimo del hogar y revelan el costo humano del apego, del duelo y del derrumbe de la compostura real.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ripple-effect of adharma and war: suffering spreads beyond warriors to families and the vulnerable. A ruler’s inner collapse becomes a public calamity, reminding readers that power and status do not shield one from grief, and that ethical failures in governance and kinship lead to collective anguish.
As the war’s grim news and pressures mount, Dhṛtarāṣṭra becomes distraught and falls to the ground. Inside the palace, the women respond with a loud collective cry of lamentation, and the palace echoes with their wailing.