Shloka 176
Abhimanyu’s Śrāddha; Vyāsa’s Assurance of the Unborn Heir (अभिमन्योः श्राद्धं तथा गर्भरक्षणोपदेशः)
खेदितो द्रोणकर्णाभ्यां दौःशासनिवशं गत: । “लाखों राजाओंके समूहोंको मारकर द्रोण और कर्णके साथ युद्ध करते-करते जब वह बहुत थक गया, उस समय दु:शासनके पुत्रके द्वारा मारा गया
khedito droṇakarṇābhyāṃ dauḥśāsanivaśaṃ gataḥ |
Vaiśaṃpāyana disse: Exaurido pelo combate prolongado contra Droṇa e Karṇa—após abater hostes de reis—caiu no poder do filho de Duḥśāsana, que o matou. O verso ressalta que até a grande proeza pode ser vencida pelo cansaço e pelas circunstâncias: na guerra, o colapso das forças é um ponto de inflexão ético e trágico, não um mero evento tático.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the vulnerability of even the strongest warriors: sustained violence and relentless struggle lead to exhaustion, and in that weakened state one can be overcome. Ethically, it points to the tragic cost of war—victory and defeat often hinge not only on virtue or skill but on fatigue, circumstance, and the cumulative burden of killing.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that a warrior, after fighting Droṇa and Karṇa and slaughtering many kings, becomes extremely fatigued and consequently falls under the power of Duḥśāsana’s son, who kills him (as indicated by the accompanying narrative sense).