Shloka 423

धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)

Devanagari script

निहता बहवो यत्र किमन्यद्‌ भागधेयतः । ये तथा और भी बहुत-से अस्त्रवेत्ता, रणदुर्मद, शूरवीर और परिघ-जैसी भुजाओंवाले राजा एवं राजकुमार अधिक संख्यामें मार डाले गये, वहाँ भाग्यके सिवा और क्या कारण बताया जाय?

Transliteration

nihitā bahavo yatra kim anyad bhāgadheyataḥ |

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Di tempat begitu ramai yang terbunuh, apakah sebab lain yang dapat ditunjukkan selain takdir? Apabila ramai mahaguru senjata—raja-raja dan putera-putera raja yang gagah, mabuk perang, berlengan seperti gada besi—ditumpaskan dalam jumlah besar, apakah penjelasan yang tinggal selain bahagian nasib yang telah ditetapkan?”

Word by Word

निहताःslain

बहवःmany

यत्रwhere

किम्what

अन्यत्other (else)

भागधेयतःthan fate; from destiny

Speaker

धघतयाट्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

kings (rājānaḥ)

princes (rājakumāraḥ)

weapon-experts (astravettaḥ)

parigha (iron club/mace-like weapon)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames mass slaughter in war as something that appears driven by destiny (bhāgadheya), raising the ethical tension between human agency and fatalism—especially in a ruler’s attempt to explain catastrophic loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on the immense casualties—kings, princes, and expert warriors—implying that such widespread destruction seems explainable only as fate’s allotment rather than any single tactical or personal cause.