Shloka 28
कर्णस्य सेनापत्यं, माकरव्यूहः, पाण्डवानामर्धचन्द्रव्यूहः
Karna’s Command; Mākara Formation; Pandava Crescent Counter-Array
वे अचेत होते-होते बोले--'संजय! दो घड़ी ठहर जाओ। तात! यह महान् अप्रिय संवाद सुनकर मेरा मन व्याकुल हो गया है, चेतना लुप्त-सी हो रही है और मैं अपने अंगोंको धारण करनेमें असमर्थ हो रहा हूँ ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | aceto hote-hote 'bravīt— “sañjaya! dve ghaṭike tiṣṭha. tāta! idaṃ mahad apriya-saṃvādaṃ śrutvā mama manaḥ vyākulaṃ jātaṃ, cetanā lupta-iva bhavati, ahaṃ ca svāṅgāni dhārayituṃ na śaknomi.” iti evam uktvā vacanaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭro ’mbikā-sutaḥ | bhrānta-cittaḥ tataḥ so ’tha babhūva jagatī-patiḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。意識が薄れゆく中で彼は口にした。「サンジャヤよ、二ガティカーのあいだ待て。わが子よ、この痛ましくも望まぬ報せを聞いて、心は大いに乱れた。意識がすべり落ちるようで、手足さえ支えられぬ。」そう言い終えると、アンビカーの子たる王ドリタラーシュトラは心神錯乱し、ついに気を失って倒れた。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment and the burden of one’s choices can overwhelm discernment: Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing painful consequences unfolding in war, loses composure and even bodily control. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata theme that adharma-driven decisions eventually return as unbearable sorrow, shaking even a king’s steadiness.
Within the frame narrative, Sañjaya is reporting battlefield events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. On hearing an especially unwelcome update, Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya to pause for two ghaṭikās, confesses that his mind is distressed and his consciousness is slipping, and then he becomes bewildered and swoons.