Shloka 69
कथं वा निहतो भीष्म: पिता संजय मे परै: । दुर्योधनश्व कर्णश्न शकुनिश्चापि सौबल:
kathaṁ vā nihato bhīṣmaḥ pitā sañjaya me paraiḥ | duryodhanaś ca karṇaś ca śakuniś cāpi saubalaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra disse: “Como, ó Sañjaya, Bhīṣma—meu venerável ancião, para mim como um pai—foi morto pelo lado adversário? E o que aconteceu com Duryodhana, Karṇa e também com Śakuni, filho de Subala?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and emotional cost of war: even the most venerable elders (Bhīṣma) become casualties when dharma is obscured by attachment and factional loyalty. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s question reflects the shock of consequences returning to those who enabled adharma through partiality.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing the unfolding account of the Kurukṣetra war from Sañjaya, anxiously asks how Bhīṣma was brought down by the opposing army and also inquires about the fate of key Kaurava figures—Duryodhana, Karṇa, and Śakuni (called Saubala).