Shloka 48
दुर्योधन जीवसि त्वं वाक्यं श्रोत्रसुखं शूणु । सप्त पाण्डवत: शेषा धार्तराष्ट्रासत्रयो वयम्
duryodhana jīvasi tvaṁ vākyaṁ śrotrasukhaṁ śṛṇu | sapta pāṇḍavataḥ śeṣā dhārtarāṣṭrās trayo vayam ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Duryodhana, engkau masih hidup—dengarlah kata-kata yang akan menyenangkan telingamu. Di pihak Pāṇḍava tinggal tujuh; di pihak Dhārtarāṣṭra, kami tinggal tiga.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral irony of war: even when one side seeks comfort in ‘pleasing words,’ the reality is reduced to a grim tally of survivors. It underscores how attachment to victory-talk can mask the ethical devastation and the irreversible consequences of adharma-driven conflict.
In the Sauptika Parva’s aftermath, a report is being conveyed to the wounded Duryodhana. The speaker urges him to listen to ‘ear-pleasing’ news and then states the remaining numbers on each side—seven among the Pāṇḍava camp and three among the Dhārtarāṣṭras—framing the situation as a strategic update amid the night-raid context of this parva.