Shloka 52
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
एवमेष क्षयो वृत्त: पृथिव्यां पृथिवीपते । तावकानां परेषां च राजन दुर्मन्त्रिते तव,पृथ्वीनाथ! इस प्रकार इस भूतलपर आपकी और शत्रुओंकी सेनाओंका महान् संहार हुआ है। राजन्! यह सब आपकी कुमन्त्रणाका ही फल है
evameṣa kṣayo vṛttaḥ pṛthivyāṃ pṛthivīpate | tāvakānāṃ pareṣāṃ ca rājan durmantrite tava ||
एवमेष क्षयो वृत्तः पृथिव्यां पृथिवीपते। तावकानां परेषां च राजन् दुर्मन्त्रिते तव॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses moral and political accountability: catastrophic loss in war is not merely fate but can be traced to flawed judgment and unethical counsel. A ruler’s decisions and advisers’ influence have far-reaching consequences for both one’s own people and opponents.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that immense slaughter has taken place on the battlefield, affecting both the Kaurava and Pāṇḍava sides, and he explicitly attributes this outcome to Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s ‘durmantrita’—his misguided policy and counsel.