Shloka 192
यदाओऔषमभिमन्युं निहत्य हर्षान्मूढान् क्रोशतो धार्तराष्ट्रानू । क्रोधादुक्तं सैन्धवे चार्जुनेन तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,जब मैंने सुना कि मेरे मूढ़ पुत्र अपने ही वंशके होनहार बालक अभिमन्युकी हत्या करके हर्षपूर्ण कोलाहल कर रहे हैं और अर्जुनने क्रोधवश जयद्रथको मारनेकी भीषण प्रतिज्ञा की है, संजय! तभी मैंने विजयकी आशा छोड़ दी
yadā auṣam abhimanyum nihatya harṣān mūḍhān krośato dhārtarāṣṭrān | krodhād uktaṃ saindhave cārjunena tadā nāśaṃse vijayāya sañjaya ||
When I heard that my deluded sons, having slain Abhimanyu—an exceptionally promising youth of our own lineage—were shouting in exultant uproar, and that Arjuna, driven by wrath, had uttered a terrible vow to kill Jayadratha, then, Sañjaya, I no longer held any hope for victory. The verse frames triumph gained through a grievous, unrighteous killing as morally corrosive and strategically self-defeating, for it provokes a righteous fury that turns the tide of war.
Educational Q&A
Rejoicing in a grievous, unrighteous act—such as the killing of a vulnerable or outnumbered hero—does not secure lasting success; it invites moral backlash and strategic ruin. The verse highlights how adharma breeds consequences, turning apparent gains into the seed of defeat.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implicitly) tells Sañjaya that he heard the Kauravas celebrating after killing Abhimanyu, and he also learned that Arjuna, enraged, has sworn a fierce vow to kill Jayadratha. Hearing this, he abandons hope of victory for his side.