Shloka 29
कर्णनिधनश्रवणम् — Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament
राजन्! भगदत्तके विद्वान् और महाबली पुत्रको युद्धमें बाजकी तरह झपटनेवाले नकुलने मार गिराया ।। पितामहस्तव तथा बाह्लीक: सह बाह्लिकै: । निहतो भीमसेनेन महाबलपराक्रम:,आपके पितामह बाह्नलीक भी महान् बल-पराक्रमसे सम्पन्न थे। वे भीमसेनके हाथसे बाह्लीक योद्धाओंसहित मारे गये
sañjaya uvāca | rājan! bhagadattake vidvān mahābalī putraṃ yuddhe bājakīva jhaṭapṭamānaḥ nakulaḥ mārayām āsa || pitāmahas tava tathā bāhlīkaḥ saha bāhlīkaiḥ | nihato bhīmasenena mahābala-parākramaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: O King, Nakula—swift in battle like a swooping hawk—struck down the learned and mighty son of Bhagadatta. And your grandsire Bahlika too, though endowed with great strength and valor, was slain by Bhimasena along with the Bahlika warriors. Thus, in the relentless course of war, even renowned elders and powerful champions fall when fate and force converge on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the inexorable cost of war: learning, age, lineage, and personal valor do not guarantee survival. In the Mahabharata’s ethical frame, battlefield outcomes reveal the harsh convergence of kṣatriya duty, human effort, and destiny—reminding the listener that violence, once unleashed, consumes even the eminent.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Nakula swiftly kills the strong and learned son of Bhagadatta, and that Bhimasena kills the elder Bahlika along with Bahlika warriors. It is a battlefield update marking significant Kaurava losses.