Shloka 1
Karna Reproves Shalya; Brahmin Reports on Bāhlīkas; Shalya’s Universalizing Rebuttal (कर्ण–शल्य संवादः)
अपन का बा | ऑफ क्राछ एकत्रिशो< ध्याय: रात्रिमें कौरवोंकी मन्त्रणा
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | svecchandena naḥ sarvān avadhīd vyaktam arjunaḥ | na hāsya samare mucyed antako 'py ātātāyī ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra disse: “Sañjaya, é evidente que Arjuna, agindo inteiramente por sua própria vontade, matou todos os nossos homens. Em batalha, uma vez que ele empunha as armas, nem a própria Morte—por mais implacável agressora—poderia escapar viva de suas mãos.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming force of a righteous warrior’s resolve in war and the psychological collapse of the defeated side: Dhṛtarāṣṭra frames Arjuna’s success as unstoppable, even beyond Death’s reach, while implicitly acknowledging the Kauravas’ vulnerability and the consequences of aggression.
After hearing reports of the battlefield, Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks to Sañjaya, lamenting that Arjuna has slaughtered the Kaurava forces at will and declaring Arjuna so formidable that no one—figuratively even Death—can escape him once he fights.