Shloka 2
कर्णस्य सेनापत्यं, माकरव्यूहः, पाण्डवानामर्धचन्द्रव्यूहः
Karna’s Command; Mākara Formation; Pandava Crescent Counter-Array
तौ हि वीरौ महेष्वासौ मदर्थे कुरुसत्तमौ । भीष्मद्रोणौ हतीौ श्रुत्वा नार्थो वै जीवितेड्सति
tau hi vīrau maheṣvāsau madarthe kurusattamau | bhīṣmadroṇau hatāv śrutvā nārtho vai jīvite 'sti ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Dua pahlawan itu, pemanah agung—Bhīṣma dan Droṇa—yang terunggul dalam kalangan Kuru, telah terbunuh demi diriku. Setelah mendengar hal ini, sesungguhnya tiada lagi guna memelihara hidup yang hina ini.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of leadership and attachment: Dhṛtarāṣṭra interprets the fall of revered elders as occurring “for my sake,” and his despair shows how unchecked ambition and partiality can culminate in guilt, loss of meaning, and a collapse of resolve.
In the Karṇa Parva, Dhṛtarāṣṭra hears that Bhīṣma and Droṇa—pillar-like elders and master warriors of the Kuru side—have been killed. Overwhelmed, he laments that their deaths were on his account and declares that continuing to live now seems purposeless.