Shloka 43
तथैव रथिनां श्रेष्ठ: क्षेमधूर्तिविशाम्पते । निहतो गदया राजन् भीमसेनेन संयुगे,प्रजानाथ! नरेश्वर! इसी प्रकार रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ क्षेमधूर्तिको भी युद्धस्थलमें भीमसेनने अपनी गदासे मार डाला
tathaiva rathināṁ śreṣṭhaḥ kṣemadhūrtir viśāmpate | nihato gadayā rājan bhīmasenena saṁyuge prajānātha nareśvara ||
Sañjaya said: “In the same way, O lord of the people, the foremost among chariot-warriors—Kṣemadhūrti—was struck down in battle by Bhīmasena with his mace, O king, O protector of subjects. Thus the relentless law of war continued to claim even eminent fighters.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh impartiality of battle: even a renowned rathin (chariot-warrior) can fall in an instant. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension—kṣatriya duty drives warriors into combat, yet the outcome remains governed by mortality and the inexorable consequences of war.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kṣemadhūrti, described as a foremost chariot-warrior, has been slain on the battlefield by Bhīmasena using a mace, continuing the sequence of battlefield deaths being recounted.