Shloka 183
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
जघान स पृषथ्रं च चन्द्रसेनं च मारिष | कुन्तिभोजसुतांश्चवासौ दशभिर्दश जध्निवान्,आर्य! इसके बाद द्रोणकुमारने राजा श्रुताह्मको भी यमलोक पहुँचा दिया। फिर दूसरे तीन तीखे और सुन्दर पंखवाले बाणोंद्वारा हेममाली, पृषध्र और चन्द्रसेन-का भी वध कर डाला। तदनन्तर दस बाणोंसे उसने राजा कुन्तिभोजके दस पुत्रोंको कालके गालमें डाल दिया
jaghāna sa pṛṣadhraṃ ca candrasenaṃ ca māriṣa | kuntibhojasutāṃś ca vāsau daśabhir daśa jadhnivān ||
Sañjaya said: O venerable one, he struck down Pṛṣadhra and Candrasena; and with ten arrows he slew the ten sons of Kuntibhoja. The narrative underscores the relentless escalation of battle, where prowess and strategy eclipse kinship and compassion, and many are sent to death in a single, sweeping assault.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim moral atmosphere of Kurukṣetra: in the momentum of war, even prominent warriors and royal lineages can be extinguished swiftly. It invites reflection on the ethical cost of conflict and the harsh demands of kṣatriya-duty when war becomes total.
Sañjaya reports a sequence of killings in battle: Pṛṣadhra and Candrasena are slain, and then the ten sons of King Kuntibhoja are killed with ten arrows—emphasizing the attacker’s lethal efficiency and the rapid collapse of allied forces.