Shloka 34
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
भगदत्तो हतो यत्र गजयुद्धविशारद: । जयद्रथश्न निहत: किमन्यद् भागधेयत:,जहाँ गजयुद्धविशारद राजा भगदत्त मारे गये और सिंधुराज जयद्रथका वध हो गया, वहाँ भाग्यके सिवा दूसरा क्या कारण हो सकता है?
bhagadatto hato yatra gajayuddhaviśāradaḥ | jayadrathaś ca nihataḥ kim anyad bhāgadhyeyataḥ ||
Di tempat Bhagadatta—terkenal sebagai mahaguru perang gajah—terbunuh, dan di tempat Jayadratha, raja Sindhu, juga dibunuh—sebab apakah lagi yang mungkin selain takdir?
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the dominance of bhāgadhyeya (destiny/one’s allotted fortune) in the outcomes of war: even famed champions fall, suggesting that human prowess alone cannot fully account for victory and defeat.
The speaker reflects on major Kaurava losses—Bhagadatta, famed for elephant-battle, and Jayadratha, king of Sindhu—arguing that such decisive deaths indicate the irresistible turn of fate in the unfolding war.