Shloka 68
दुर्योधन–द्रोणसंवादः
Arjuna-vīrya-prasaṃśā and renewed battle formation
'परंतु उन अत्यन्त प्रबल तथा शूरवीर नरेशोंको भी पाण्डवोंने युद्धमें मार डाला। पुरुषाधम! तुम इसमें दैवसंयोगके सिवा दूसरा कौन-सा कारण मानते हो? ।। यांश्व तान् स्तौषि सततं दुर्योधनरिपून् द्विज । तेषामपि हता: शूरा: शतशो5थ सहस्रश:,“ब्रह्मन! तुम दुर्योधनके जिन शत्रुओंकी सदा स्तुति करते रहते हो, उनके भी तो सैकड़ों और सहसौरों शूरवीर मारे गये हैं
sanjaya uvāca | parantu tān atyanta-prabalān tathā śūravīrān nareśān api pāṇḍavaiḥ yuddhe mārayām āsa | puruṣādhama! tvam atra daiva-saṃyogāt paraṃ dvitīyaṃ kāraṇaṃ kim manyase || yāṃś ca tān stauṣi satataṃ duryodhana-ripūn dvija | teṣām api hatāḥ śūrāḥ śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ ||
सञ्जय उवाच—परन्तु पाण्डवैः समरेऽत्यन्तबलवन्तोऽपि शूरप्रख्याता नृपाः निहताः। पुरुषाधम! अत्र दैवसंयोगाद् अन्यत् किं कारणं पश्यसि? यांश्च तान् स्तौषि सततं दुर्योधनरिपून् द्विज, तेषामपि हताः शूराः शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield outcomes as strongly conditioned by daiva-saṃyoga (the convergence of fate and circumstances), cautioning against simplistic attribution of victory or defeat to a single human cause and reminding that even the praised heroes are not exempt from destruction.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍavas have slain extremely powerful kings. He challenges the listener to see fate as the decisive factor, and adds that even among Duryodhana’s foes—whom the addressed brāhmaṇa praises—many hundreds and thousands of warriors have also fallen.