Shloka 4
Ghaṭotkaca Slays Alāyudha (Night Battle and Māyā Countermeasures) / घटोत्कचेन अलायुधवधः
मन्त्रितं तव पुत्रस्य ते सर्वमवमेनिरे । येन मन्त्रेण निहता: शतश: क्षत्रियर्षभा:,वे सब लोग आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनकी उस सारी मन्त्रणाका अनादर करने लगे, जिससे सैकड़ों क्षत्रिय-शिरोमणि कालके गालमें चले गये
mantritaṁ tava putrasya te sarvam avamenire | yena mantreṇa nihatāḥ śataśaḥ kṣatriyarṣabhāḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «Tous en vinrent à mépriser l’ensemble des conseils de ton fils, car par cette même ruse des centaines de guerriers kshatriyas, puissants comme des taureaux, avaient été tués.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Counsel is judged by its fruits: when a strategy leads to widespread, dishonorable destruction, even allies lose respect for the leader’s deliberation. The verse highlights accountability in leadership and the ethical weight of wartime decisions.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the Kaurava side began to scorn Duryodhana’s overall counsel, because the plan he promoted had already resulted in the deaths of hundreds of eminent Kshatriya warriors, turning opinion against him.