Shloka 3736
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
एते शेषा महाराज सर्वेडन्ये निधनं गता: । “नृपश्रेष्ठ! जनेश्वर! महाराज! उभय पक्षमें जो समस्त अक्षौहिणी सेनाएँ एकत्र हुई थीं, उनमेंसे ये ही रथी शेष रह गये हैं, अन्य सब लोग कालके गालमें चले गये
ete śeṣā mahārāja sarve 'nye nidhanaṃ gatāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O great king, these alone are the survivors; all the others have gone to their death.” In the wake of the war’s total ruin, the statement underscores the moral weight of mass violence: even vast hosts and celebrated warriors are finally reduced to a scant remainder, as time and fate consume the rest.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights impermanence and the ethical gravity of war: even immense armies and renowned fighters ultimately perish, leaving only a few survivors—an implicit warning about the cost of adharma and unchecked violence.
Vaiśampāyana reports to the king that only a limited group remains alive, while everyone else has been slain—summarizing the catastrophic depletion of forces after the great battle.