Shloka 29
कर्णनिधनश्रवणम् — Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament
राजन्! भगदत्तके विद्वान् और महाबली पुत्रको युद्धमें बाजकी तरह झपटनेवाले नकुलने मार गिराया ।।
sañjaya uvāca | rājan! bhagadattake vidvān mahābalī putraṃ yuddhe bājakīva jhaṭapṭamānaḥ nakulaḥ mārayām āsa || pitāmahas tava tathā bāhlīkaḥ saha bāhlīkaiḥ | nihato bhīmasenena mahābala-parākramaḥ ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: O Hari, si Nakula—mabilis sa labanan na parang lawing sumasalpok—ay ibinagsak ang marunong at makapangyarihang anak ni Bhagadatta. At ang iyong ninuno, si Bahlika, bagaman hitik sa lakas at kagitingan, ay napatay rin ni Bhīmasena kasama ng mga mandirigmang Bahlika. Kaya sa walang humpay na agos ng digmaan, maging ang mga bantog na matatanda at ang mga makapangyarihang kampeon ay bumabagsak kapag nagtatagpo ang tadhana at lakas sa larangan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the inexorable cost of war: learning, age, lineage, and personal valor do not guarantee survival. In the Mahabharata’s ethical frame, battlefield outcomes reveal the harsh convergence of kṣatriya duty, human effort, and destiny—reminding the listener that violence, once unleashed, consumes even the eminent.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Nakula swiftly kills the strong and learned son of Bhagadatta, and that Bhimasena kills the elder Bahlika along with Bahlika warriors. It is a battlefield update marking significant Kaurava losses.