Shloka 32
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
कर्णश्र निहत: संख्ये दिव्यास्त्रज्ञो महाबल:,जहाँ दिव्यास्त्रोंका ज्ञान रखनेवाला महाबली कर्ण युद्धमें मारा गया, जहाँ समरांगणमें भूरिश्रवा, सोमदत्त तथा महाराज बाह्लिकका संहार हो गया, वहाँ भाग्यके सिवा दूसरा क्या कारण बताया जा सकता है?
karṇaś ca nihataḥ saṅkhye divyāstrajño mahābalaḥ | yatra divyāstrāṇāṃ jñānaṃ dhārayan mahābalī karṇo yuddhe māritaḥ, yatra samarāṅgaṇe bhūriśravāḥ somadattaś ca mahārājo bāhlikaś ca saṃhṛtaḥ, tatra bhāgyāt paraṃ kāraṇaṃ kim anyad vaktuṃ śakyate ||
Disse Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Quando Karṇa—de grande força e senhor das armas celestes—foi morto em combate; quando, nesse mesmo campo de guerra, Bhūriśravas, Somadatta e o rei Bāhlika foram destruídos—que causa se pode nomear ali, senão o destino?
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between human effort (strength, skill, even divine weapon-knowledge) and the overwhelming force of bhāgya (fate). Dhṛtarāṣṭra interprets catastrophic losses as evidence that outcomes in war can exceed rational explanation, prompting reflection on destiny, karma, and the limits of power.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of the great Kaurava losses, lists major warriors—Karṇa, Bhūriśravas, Somadatta, and Bāhlika—who have been killed. He concludes that such a collapse cannot be explained by ordinary causes and attributes it to fate.