Shloka 563

धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)

Devanagari script

सेनापतिं प्रणेतारं किमकुर्वत मामका: । धृतराष्ट्रने कहा--संजय! भीष्म और द्रोणाचार्यके वधका तथा युद्ध-संचालक सेनापति सूतपुत्र कर्णके विनाशका समाचार सुनकर मेरे पुत्रोंने क्या किया?

Transliteration

senāpatiṃ praṇetāraṃ kim akurvata māmakāḥ |

Translation

ధృతరాష్ట్రుడు అన్నాడు—సంజయా! భీష్ముడు, ద్రోణాచార్యుడు వధింపబడిన వార్తను, అలాగే యుద్ధాన్ని నడిపించిన సేనాపతి సూతపుత్ర కర్ణుడు నశించిన సమాచారాన్ని విని నా కుమారులు ఏమి చేశారు?

Word by Word

• सेनापतिम्: the commander (of the army)
• सेनापतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेनापति
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रणेतारम्: the leader/guide
• प्रणेतारम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रणेतृ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अकुर्वत: did
• अकुर्वत: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• मामकाः: my people (i.e., my sons/party)
• मामकाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मामक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Sañjaya
• Bhīṣma
• Droṇācārya
• Karṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the collapse of worldly reliance on power and leadership: when principal protectors and commanders fall, those attached to victory and lineage confront fear, grief, and moral reckoning—suggesting that adharma-driven ambition is unstable and ultimately self-defeating.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narration frames Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s anxious inquiry to Sañjaya: after receiving news of the deaths of Bhīṣma and Droṇa and the destruction of Karṇa—who had become the Kaurava commander and war-director—he asks what his sons (the Kauravas) did next.