Mahabharata — Karna Parva, Shloka 2
कर्णस्य सेनापत्यं, माकरव्यूहः, पाण्डवानामर्धचन्द्रव्यूहः
Karna’s Command; Mākara Formation; Pandava Crescent Counter-Array
तौ हि वीरौ महेष्वासौ मदर्थे कुरुसत्तमौ । भीष्मद्रोणौ हतीौ श्रुत्वा नार्थो वै जीवितेड्सति
tau hi vīrau maheṣvāsau madarthe kurusattamau | bhīṣmadroṇau hatāv śrutvā nārtho vai jīvite 'sti ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra dit : «Ces deux héros, grands archers—Bhīṣma et Droṇa—les plus éminents des Kuru, ont été tués à cause de moi. L’ayant appris, il n’y a vraiment plus aucune raison de préserver cette vie misérable.»
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of leadership and attachment: Dhṛtarāṣṭra interprets the fall of revered elders as occurring “for my sake,” and his despair shows how unchecked ambition and partiality can culminate in guilt, loss of meaning, and a collapse of resolve.
In the Karṇa Parva, Dhṛtarāṣṭra hears that Bhīṣma and Droṇa—pillar-like elders and master warriors of the Kuru side—have been killed. Overwhelmed, he laments that their deaths were on his account and declares that continuing to live now seems purposeless.