Shloka 2
अर्जुनस्य द्रोणिप्रतिघातः कर्णोपसर्पणं च
Arjuna Checks Droṇaputra; Karṇa Advances
धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--संजय! कर्ण कुन्तीपुत्रोंकी सेनामें प्रवेश करके राजा युधिष्ठिरके पास पहुँचकर जो जनसंहार कर रहा था, उसका समाचार मुझे सुनाओ ।। के च प्रवीरा: पार्थानां युधि कर्णमवारयन् । कांश्व॒ प्रमथ्याधिरथिर्युधिष्ठिरमपीडयत्,उस समय पाण्डवपक्षके किन-किन प्रमुख वीरोंने युद्धस्थलमें कर्णको आगे बढ़नेसे रोका और किन-किनको रौंदकर सूतपुत्र कर्णने युधिष्ठिरको पीड़ित किया
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca— sañjaya! karṇaḥ kuntīputrāṇāṃ senāṃ praviśya rājānaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram upasaṃgamya yaḥ janasaṃhāraṃ karoti sma, tad vṛttāntaṃ me śaṃsa. ke ca pravīrāḥ pārthānāṃ yudhi karṇam avārayan? kāṃś ca pramathya sūtaputro ’dhirathir yudhiṣṭhiram apīḍayat?
Dhṛtarāṣṭra disse: “Sañjaya, conta-me o que aconteceu—como Karṇa, ao entrar no exército dos filhos de Kuntī e chegar até o rei Yudhiṣṭhira, estava causando uma matança de homens. Que guerreiros principais dos Pāṇḍavas detiveram Karṇa no campo de batalha, e a quem esmagou o filho do cocheiro—o poderoso filho de Adhiratha—enquanto pressionava e atormentava Yudhiṣṭhira?”
घतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension of war: a king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) seeks detailed knowledge of slaughter and tactical resistance, highlighting how royal duty and attachment can fixate on victory even amid human devastation. It also signals the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern with the moral cost of kṣatriya warfare.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about Karṇa’s advance into the Pāṇḍava host, his reaching Yudhiṣṭhira, and the resulting carnage. He specifically asks which leading Pāṇḍava warriors managed to restrain Karṇa and which fighters Karṇa overpowered while harassing Yudhiṣṭhira.