Shloka 9
Adhyāya 8: Saṃprahāra-varṇana and Bhīma–Kṣemadhūrti Dvipa-Yuddha
Combat Description and Elephant Duel
विस्नस्ताड़: श्वसन् दीनो हाहेत्युक्त्वा सुदु:ःखितः: । विललाप महाराज धृतराष्ट्रोडम्बिकासुत:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | visnastaḍaḥ śvasan dīno hāhety uktvā suduḥkhitaḥ | vilalāpa mahārāja dhṛtarāṣṭro ’mbikāsutaḥ ||
ବୈଶମ୍ପାୟନ କହିଲେ—ମହାରାଜ! ଅମ୍ବିକାସୁତ ଧୃତରାଷ୍ଟ୍ର ବିହ୍ୱଳ ହୋଇ, ଦୀନଭାବେ ଭାରି ଶ୍ୱାସ ନେଇ, ଅତ୍ୟନ୍ତ ଦୁଃଖିତ ହୋଇ “ହାୟ! ହାୟ!” ବୋଲି ବିଲାପ କରିଲେ।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment and reliance on worldly power collapse in the face of inevitable consequences: when the seemingly ‘invincible’ falls, the mind is forced to confront impermanence and the moral cost of one’s chosen side. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief reflects the karmic and ethical unraveling of a war sustained by partiality and adharma.
Vaiśampāyana narrates Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s immediate reaction upon hearing of Karṇa’s death: he is shaken, breathes heavily, cries “Alas,” and begins to lament, sensing that the Kaurava cause is now doomed.