Shloka 116
ब्राह्मणा राजपुत्राश्न स कथं मृत्युना हृत: । गुणार्थी ब्राह्मण तथा राजकुमार ब्राह्म और दैव अस्त्रोंके लिये जिनकी उपासना करते थे, उन्हें मृत्यु कैसे हर ले गयी?
brāhmaṇā rājaputrāś ca sa kathaṁ mṛtyunā hṛtaḥ | guṇārthī brāhmaṇa tathā rājakuṁmāraḥ brāhma (iti pāṭha-doṣaḥ) ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “How could Death have taken him—one who was sought after by brāhmaṇas and princes alike, a brāhmaṇa devoted to excellence and virtue, and (as it were) a royal youth in dignity? How could such a man, revered for his spiritual power and honored by those who worship for divine weapons, be overcome?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most honored and spiritually accomplished person—respected by brāhmaṇas and princes—remains subject to mortality. The verse highlights the ethical shock of loss in war and the Mahābhārata’s recurring reminder that status, learning, and merit do not grant immunity from death.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of a significant death in the Drona Parva’s battle context, expresses disbelief and sorrow: he wonders how someone so esteemed and sought after could be ‘carried off by Death.’ The line functions as a lament and a reflection on the harsh reversals of the Kurukṣetra war.