Shloka 20
धृतराष्ट उवाच निहते मामके सैन्ये नि:शेषे शिबिरे कृते । पाण्डवानां बले सूत कि नु शेषमभूत् तदा
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
nihate māmake sainye niḥśeṣe śibire kṛte |
pāṇḍavānāṃ bale sūta kiṃ nu śeṣam abhūt tadā ||
துரிதராஷ்டிரன் கூறினான்—ஓ சூதா! என் படை முழுதும் அழிந்து, முகாம் முற்றிலும் சிதைந்தபோது, அப்போது பாண்டவர்களின் வலிமையில் என்ன மீதமிருந்தது?
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and psychological reckoning after catastrophic violence: even after total victory or total defeat, a ruler must confront consequences and realities rather than illusions of power. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s question reflects belated accountability—seeking to measure what remains after adharma-driven war has consumed nearly everything.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about the state of the Pāṇḍavas after the Kaurava forces have been annihilated and their camp devastated. He wants to know what strength or forces the Pāṇḍavas still possess at that point in the war’s aftermath.