Shloka 68
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — दुर्योधनस्य ह्रदप्रवेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue: Duryodhana’s Entry into the Lake
भरतनन्दन! रथसे शकुनिको गिराकर समरांगणमें श्रीकृष्णसहित समस्त पाण्डव अत्यन्त हर्षमें भरकर सैनिकोंका हर्ष बढ़ाते हुए प्रसन्नतापूर्वक शंखनाद करने लगे ।। त॑ं चापि सर्वे प्रतिपूजयन्तो दृष्टवा ब्रवाणा: सहदेवमाजौ । दिष्ट्या हतो नैकृतिको महात्मा सहात्मजो वीर रणे त्वयेति
bharatanandana! rathase śakuniko girākara samarāṅgaṇe śrīkṛṣṇasahitaḥ samasta-pāṇḍavā atyanta-harṣeṇa bharitāḥ sainikānāṃ harṣaṃ vardhayantaḥ prasannatayā śaṅkhanādaṃ cakruḥ || taṃ cāpi sarve pratipūjayantaḥ dṛṣṭvā bravāṇāḥ sahadevam ājau | diṣṭyā hato naikṛtiko mahātmā sahātmajo vīra raṇe tvayeti ||
Sanjaya said: “O scion of Bharata! When Shakuni was brought down from his chariot on the battlefield, all the Pandavas—together with Sri Krishna—were filled with intense joy. Delighting the troops and heightening their morale, they sounded their conches in gladness. Seeing Sahadeva there in the fight, all honored him and spoke: ‘By good fortune that wicked-souled Shakuni, along with his son, has been slain by you, O hero, in battle.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the fall of a deceit-driven antagonist as a restoration of moral order in war: treachery (naikṛtika) meets its consequence, while righteous resolve is publicly affirmed through communal honor and the uplifting of collective morale.
After Shakuni is struck down from his chariot and killed (with his son), the Pandavas—alongside Krishna—joyfully blow conches to rally the army. The warriors then congratulate and honor Sahadeva, acknowledging him as the slayer of Shakuni in the battle.