Shloka 33
ते हता न््यपतन् भूमौ धृष्टद्युम्नस्य वाजिन: । शोणास्तु पर्यमुच्यन्त रथबन्धाद् विशाम्पते,प्रजानाथ! धृष्टद्युम्नके वे घोड़े मारे जाकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े और लाल रंगवाले घोड़े रथके बन्धनसे मुक्त हो गये
te hatā nyapatan bhūmau dhṛṣṭadyumnasya vājinaḥ | śoṇās tu paryamucyanta rathabandhād viśāmpate prajānātha ||
Sañjaya said: The horses of Dhṛṣṭadyumna, struck down, fell upon the earth. But the red steeds were released from the chariot’s harness—O lord of the people, O protector of subjects—showing how, amid the violence of war, fate spares some even as others perish.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the uneven outcomes of war: death and survival occur side by side, reminding rulers and listeners that violence brings unpredictable loss, and that responsibility for war’s consequences ultimately returns to those who authorize and sustain it.
In the battle report, Sañjaya tells Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s horses were killed and fell to the ground, while some red horses became unyoked—freed from the chariot’s harness—amid the chaos.