Shloka 256
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
दिष्टया विनिहतः पापो वृद्धक्षत्र: सहात्मज: । “विजयशील अर्जुन! बड़े सौभाग्यकी बात है कि तुमने अपनी बड़ी भारी प्रतिज्ञा पूरी कर ली। सौभाग्यसे पापी वृद्धक्षत्र पुत्रसहित मारा गया
diṣṭyā vinihataḥ pāpo vṛddhakṣatraḥ sahātmajaḥ |
Dengan keberuntungan, Vṛddhakṣatra yang berdosa telah tewas bersama putranya. Wahai Arjuna yang teguh dalam kemenangan, sungguh besar berkah bahwa engkau menuntaskan sumpahmu yang berat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of a warrior’s vow and the belief that righteous resolve, once undertaken, must be carried through; it also frames the enemy’s death as a providential outcome (diṣṭyā), linking human effort with fate.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Vṛddhakṣatra—described as sinful—has been killed along with his son, and he praises Arjuna for successfully completing a major battlefield vow connected with this killing.