Shloka 6
Chapter 137: Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) Slays Somadatta; Yudhiṣṭhira Redirected from Droṇa
अहो दुर्मुखमेवैकं युद्धानामविशारदम्
aho durmukham evaikaṁ yuddhānām aviśāradam
Dhṛtarāṣṭra laments: “Alas—only Durmukha, unskilled in the arts of war, (stands out)!” The line conveys the king’s anxious moral unease: amid a catastrophic conflict driven by pride and adharma, he fixates on the inadequacy of one of his own, revealing fear, partiality, and the bitter cost of sending the unprepared into slaughter.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical burden of leadership in war: sending the unprepared into violence magnifies guilt and sorrow. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s lament also reflects how attachment and partiality distort judgment, even when the larger conflict is already morally compromised.
In the Drona Parva’s ongoing battle reports, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reacts emotionally to the state of his side. He singles out Durmukha as the lone figure who is ‘aviśārada’—not adept in warfare—indicating worry over his forces and the grim unfolding of the war.