Shloka 17
हते द्रोणे च भीष्मे च सूतपुत्रे च पातिते । शल्य: पार्थान् रणे सर्वान् निहनिष्यति मारिष,माननीय नरेश! द्रोणाचार्य, भीष्म तथा सूतपुत्र कर्णके मारे जानेपर आपके पुत्रोंके मनमें यह प्रबल आशा हो गयी कि शल्य रणभूमिमें सम्पूर्ण कुन्तीकुमारोंका वध कर डालेंगे
hate droṇe ca bhīṣme ca sūtaputre ca pātite | śalyaḥ pārthān raṇe sarvān nihaniṣyati māriṣa ||
Sañjaya said: “When Droṇa and Bhīṣma had been slain, and when the charioteer’s son (Karna) too had been brought down, your sons conceived a powerful hope: ‘Śalya will surely strike down all the sons of Pṛthā in battle.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, even after catastrophic losses, attachment to victory can generate renewed—and often unrealistic—confidence. It underscores the moral and psychological momentum of war: hope can persist as a form of denial, prolonging violence rather than prompting reflection on dharma and the cost of continued conflict.
After the deaths of major Kaurava champions—Droṇa, Bhīṣma, and Karṇa—Sañjaya reports that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons (the Kauravas) place their remaining hope in Śalya, believing he will be able to kill all the Pāṇḍavas on the battlefield.