Shloka 144
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
एवमेष क्षयो वृत्तस्तावकानां परै: सह | क्रूरो विशसनो घोरो राजन दुर्मन्त्रिते तव,राजन! इस प्रकार आपकी कुमन्त्रणाके फलस्वरूप शत्रुओंके साथ आपके योद्धाओंका यह विनाशकारी, भयंकर एवं क्रूरतापूर्ण संग्राम हुआ
evam eṣa kṣayo vṛttas tāvakānāṃ paraiḥ saha | krūro viśasano ghoro rājan durmantrite tava ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Demikianlah, wahai Raja, kebinasaan orang-orang tuan berlaku bersama-sama dengan pihak musuh. Ia suatu peperangan yang kejam, penuh pembunuhan dan menggerunkan—terbit daripada nasihat buruk tuan sendiri.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral causality in statecraft: a ruler’s misguided counsel and unethical policy (durmantrita) ripen into collective ruin. It frames war’s horror not as fate alone but as a consequence of flawed judgment and adharma in leadership.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra that a devastating and terrifying slaughter has occurred—specifically the destruction of Dhritarashtra’s forces along with the enemy in the ongoing Kurukṣetra war—attributing this calamity to the king’s own ill-advised decisions.