Shloka 167
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
यदाओ्रौष॑ घोषयात्रागतानां बन्ध॑ गन्धर्वैर्मोक्षणं चार्जुनेन । स्वेषां सुतानां कर्णबुद्धौ रतानां तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,जब मैंने सुना कि कर्णकी बुद्धिपर विश्वास करके चलनेवाले मेरे पुत्र घोषयात्राके निमित्त गये और गन्धर्वोके हाथ बन्दी बन गये और अर्जुनने उन्हें उनके हाथसे छुड़ाया। संजय! तभीसे मैंने विजयकी आशा छोड़ दी
yadāśrauṣaṃ ghoṣayātrāgatānāṃ baddhān gandharvair mokṣaṇaṃ cārjunena | sveṣāṃ sutānāṃ karṇabuddhau ratānāṃ tadā nāśaṃse vijayāya sañjaya ||
When I heard, Sañjaya, that my sons—having gone out for the cattle-raid expedition and relying on Karṇa’s counsel—were captured and bound by the Gandharvas, and that Arjuna released them from captivity, from that very moment I ceased to hope for victory. The episode exposes the moral and strategic bankruptcy of prideful aggression: those who set out to seize others’ wealth are humbled, and the very rival they wronged becomes the instrument of their rescue, revealing where true strength and righteousness reside.
Educational Q&A
Arrogant aggression and reliance on flawed counsel lead to disgrace; true strength aligns with dharma. The irony that Arjuna—whom the Kauravas oppose—becomes their rescuer underscores that moral authority and capability are not secured by pride, numbers, or bluster, but by righteousness and disciplined power.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra tells Sañjaya that he lost hope of victory from the moment he heard that his sons, having gone on the Ghoṣa-yātrā and trusting Karṇa’s advice, were captured by the Gandharvas and then freed by Arjuna.