Shloka 68
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
पज्चालाश्च यथा सर्वे निहता: सपदानुगा: । धृष्टद्युम्न: शिखण्डी च द्रौपद्या: पजच चात्मजा:,समस्त पांचाल-सैनिक अपने सेवकोंसहित कैसे मारे गये? धृष्टद्युम्न, शिखण्डी तथा द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्रोंका वध किस प्रकार हुआ?
pañcālāś ca yathā sarve nihatāḥ sapadānugāḥ | dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca draupadyāḥ pañca cātmajāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “In what manner were all the Pāñcālas slain, together with their attendants and followers? And how were Dhṛṣṭadyumna and Śikhaṇḍin killed, as well as the five sons of Draupadī?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical and narrative inquiry into the consequences of war: even eminent warriors and the innocent-connected (attendants, young heirs) become vulnerable in the collapse of dharma during conflict. It invites reflection on how violence spreads beyond the battlefield’s stated aims and consumes entire communities.
Vaiśampāyana introduces (or relays) a question seeking details about the manner of death of the Pāñcāla forces and key figures—Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍin, and Draupadī’s five sons—setting up an account of their slaying in the war’s grim aftermath.