Shloka 323
Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
दैवदण्डमिमं घोरं स हि मे नाशयिष्यति । 'दैवकी अनुकूलताके सिवा दूसरा कोई उपाय नहीं है
daivadaṇḍam imaṃ ghoraṃ sa hi me nāśayiṣyati |
Tongkat takdir yang mengerikan ini—hukuman ilahi ini—pasti akan membinasakanku. Tanpa keberpihakan daiva tak ada upaya lain untuk kembali mengusahakan perang di sini; maka hari ini aku berlindung pada Bhagavān Mahādeva yang meliputi segalanya—Dialah yang akan melenyapkan hukuman takdir yang mengerikan ini di hadapanku.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s ethical vision that violent actions and adharma generate consequences that feel like an inescapable ‘divine punishment’ (daivadaṇḍa). Human power and strategy cannot always avert the ripening of fate shaped by prior deeds.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, voices the overwhelming sense that a terrible, fate-driven retribution has arrived. The line functions as a grim recognition that the aftermath of the war is governed by forces beyond ordinary control.