Shloka 35
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
सुदक्षिणो हतो यत्र जलसन्धश्न पौरव: । श्रुतायुश्नायुतायुश्न॒ किमन््यद् भागधेयत:,जहाँ काम्बोजराज सुदक्षिण, पौरव, जलसन्ध, श्रुतायु और अयुतायु मार डाले गये, वहाँ भाग्यके सिवा और क्या कारण हो सकता है?
sudakṣiṇo hato yatra jalasandhaś ca pauravaḥ | śrutāyuś cāyutāyuś ca kim anyad bhāgadhayataḥ ||
Where Sudakṣiṇa of Kāmboja, the Paurava Jalasaṃdha, and the warriors Śrutāyu and Ayutāyu were slain—what other cause can there be except destiny? The speaker frames the shocking reversals of battle not as mere failure of valor, but as the overpowering working of fate that can overturn even the strong.
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the dominance of bhāgadhaya (destiny/fortune) in the outcomes of war: even renowned fighters can fall, so victory and defeat are not solely products of strength or strategy. Ethically, it invites humility and recognition of forces beyond personal control while still acting within one’s dharma.
The speaker points to a battlefield scene where notable allies/warriors—Sudakṣiṇa of Kāmboja, Jalasaṃdha of the Pauravas, and Śrutāyu and Ayutāyu—have been killed. Citing these deaths, he argues that such events are best explained by fate rather than by any single tactical cause.