Shloka 36

धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)

Devanagari script

महाबलस्तथा पाण्ड्य: सर्वशस्त्रभृतां वर: । निहत: पाण्डवै: संख्ये किमन्यद्‌ भागधेयत:,जहाँ सम्पूर्ण शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ महाबली पाण्ड्यनरेश युद्धमें पाण्डवोंके हाथसे मारे गये, वहाँ भाग्यके सिवा और क्‍या कारण है?

Transliteration

mahābalas tathā pāṇḍyaḥ sarvaśastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ | nihataḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ saṅkhye kim anyad bhāgadhēyataḥ ||

Translation

The mighty king of the Pāṇḍyas—foremost among all who bear arms—was slain by the Pāṇḍavas in the press of battle. What cause can there be other than destiny? The speaker frames the outcome not as a failure of valor or skill, but as the overpowering decree of fate that governs even the best of warriors.

Word by Word

• महाबलः: very strong, mighty
• महाबलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: also, likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• पाण्ड्यः: the Pāṇḍya king
• पाण्ड्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्ड्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्व-शस्त्र-भृताम्: of all weapon-bearers
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वशस्त्रभृत्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• वरः: the best, the foremost
• वरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निहतः: slain, killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन्
• Form: kta (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Passive (participial)

• पाण्डवैः: by the Pāṇḍavas
• पाण्डवैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• संख्ये: in battle
• संख्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्या
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• किम्: what?
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• अन्यत्: other (than)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• भागधेयतः: than fate, from destiny
• भागधेयतः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भागधेय
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

धघतयाट्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Pāṇḍya (king)
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even supreme martial excellence does not guarantee survival; the verse emphasizes bhāgadhēya (destiny/one’s allotted fate) as a decisive factor in outcomes, tempering pride in strength and skill.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker points to the death of the mighty Pāṇḍya king at the hands of the Pāṇḍavas in battle and interprets this surprising reversal as evidence that fate, rather than any other cause, governs the result.