Shloka 43
कर्णनिधनश्रवणम् — Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament
तथैव रथिनां श्रेष्ठ: क्षेमधूर्तिविशाम्पते । निहतो गदया राजन् भीमसेनेन संयुगे,प्रजानाथ! नरेश्वर! इसी प्रकार रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ क्षेमधूर्तिको भी युद्धस्थलमें भीमसेनने अपनी गदासे मार डाला
tathaiva rathināṁ śreṣṭhaḥ kṣemadhūrtir viśāmpate | nihato gadayā rājan bhīmasenena saṁyuge prajānātha nareśvara ||
संजय म्हणाला—प्रजानाथ! नरेश्वर! त्याचप्रमाणे रथींमध्ये श्रेष्ठ क्षेमधूर्तीही रणांगणात भीमसेनाच्या गदेने मारला गेला.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh impartiality of battle: even a renowned rathin (chariot-warrior) can fall in an instant. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension—kṣatriya duty drives warriors into combat, yet the outcome remains governed by mortality and the inexorable consequences of war.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kṣemadhūrti, described as a foremost chariot-warrior, has been slain on the battlefield by Bhīmasena using a mace, continuing the sequence of battlefield deaths being recounted.