Shloka 283
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
नानुतप्यामि तच्चाहं क्षत्रधर्म हि ते विदुः । हम दोनोंके युद्धमें पीठ न दिखानेवाले सौ पुत्र मारे गये हैं
nānutapyāmi tac cāhaṃ kṣatradharma hi te viduḥ |
ਧ੍ਰਿਤਰਾਸ਼ਟਰ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ— “ਮੈਂ ਉਸ ਲਈ ਸ਼ੋਕ ਨਹੀਂ ਕਰਦਾ, ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਉਹ ਖ਼ਸ਼ਤਰੀ ਧਰਮ ਨੂੰ ਜਾਣਦੇ ਸਨ। ਭਾਵੇਂ ਮੇਰੇ ਸੌ ਪੁੱਤਰ—ਜੋ ਜੰਗ ਵਿੱਚ ਪਿੱਠ ਨਹੀਂ ਦਿਖਾਉਂਦੇ ਸਨ—ਮਾਰੇ ਗਏ, ਤੱਥਾਪਿ ਮੈਂ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਲਈ ਦੁਖੀ ਨਹੀਂ; ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਉਹ ਯੋਧਾ-ਧਰਮ ਸਮਝ ਕੇ ਉਸੇ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਪ੍ਰਾਣ ਤਿਆਗ ਗਏ।”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames death in battle as consistent with kṣatriya-dharma: when warriors knowingly uphold their duty and fall without retreat, the event is presented as ethically intelligible within that code, reducing personal remorse.
In Āśramavāsika Parva, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war. He states that he does not lament the death of his hundred sons because they fought according to the warrior’s duty and died in battle without turning their backs.