Shloka 2
धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--संजय! कर्ण कुन्तीपुत्रोंकी सेनामें प्रवेश करके राजा युधिष्ठिरके पास पहुँचकर जो जनसंहार कर रहा था, उसका समाचार मुझे सुनाओ ।।
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca— sañjaya! karṇaḥ kuntīputrāṇāṃ senāṃ praviśya rājānaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram upasaṃgamya yaḥ janasaṃhāraṃ karoti sma, tad vṛttāntaṃ me śaṃsa. ke ca pravīrāḥ pārthānāṃ yudhi karṇam avārayan? kāṃś ca pramathya sūtaputro ’dhirathir yudhiṣṭhiram apīḍayat?
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Sañjaya, ceritakan kepadaku apa yang berlaku—bagaimana Karṇa, setelah memasuki bala tentera putera-putera Kuntī dan sampai kepada Raja Yudhiṣṭhira, sedang melakukan pembunuhan besar-besaran. Pahlawan utama manakah dari pihak Pāṇḍava yang menahan Karṇa di medan perang, dan siapakah yang dihancurkan oleh putera sais—putera Adhiratha yang perkasa—ketika dia menekan dan menyeksa Yudhiṣṭhira?”
घतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension of war: a king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) seeks detailed knowledge of slaughter and tactical resistance, highlighting how royal duty and attachment can fixate on victory even amid human devastation. It also signals the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern with the moral cost of kṣatriya warfare.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about Karṇa’s advance into the Pāṇḍava host, his reaching Yudhiṣṭhira, and the resulting carnage. He specifically asks which leading Pāṇḍava warriors managed to restrain Karṇa and which fighters Karṇa overpowered while harassing Yudhiṣṭhira.