Shloka 44

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

Devanagari script

बहवो निहता: सूत महेन्द्रसमविक्रमा: । नानादेशसमावृत्ता: क्षत्रिया यत्र संजय

Transliteration

bahavo nihatāḥ sūta mahendrasamavikramāḥ | nānādeśasamāvṛttāḥ kṣatriyā yatra sañjaya ||

Translation

اے سوت! اے سنجے! وہاں بہت سے کشتری—مہیندر کے برابر پرَاکرم والے—مارے گئے، جو گوناگوں دیسوں سے جمع ہوئے تھے۔

Word by Word

बहवःmany

निहताःslain

सूतO charioteer (Sūta)

महेन्द्र-सम-विक्रमाḥhaving valor equal to Mahendra (Indra)

नाना-देश-समावृत्ताःassembled from various countries/regions

क्षत्रियाःKshatriyas, warriors

यत्रwhere

संजयO Sañjaya

Speaker

धघतयाट्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Sañjaya

Sūta

Indra (Mahendra)

Kṣatriyas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the tragic cost of war: even the most heroic and widely renowned kṣatriyas—gathered from many regions—are not spared. It implicitly questions pride in power and lineage, reminding the listener that valor does not guarantee protection from destruction when adharma and conflict escalate.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, overwhelmed by reports of the battle, asks about the scale of the slaughter. He notes that numerous warrior-kings, famed for Indra-like prowess and drawn from many lands to Kurukṣetra, have been killed, and he addresses Sañjaya as the bearer of this grim account.