Mahabharata 7.24.16 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 24, Shloka 16
द्रोणाभिमुखानां निवारण-युद्धम् / Interceptions on the Droṇa-front
कथं स्यादवशेषो हि धुर्ययोरभ्यतीतयो: । यौ नित्यमुपजीवाम: क्षमिणौ पुरुषर्षभौ
kathaṁ syād avaśeṣo hi dhuryayor abhyatītayoḥ | yau nityam upajīvāmaḥ kṣamiṇau puruṣarṣabhau ||
Vua Dhṛtarāṣṭra nói: “Làm sao còn có kẻ sống sót, khi hai dũng tướng bậc nhất ấy đã khuất? Chúng ta vẫn nương tựa mà sống nhờ những bậc anh hùng nhẫn nại, vững như bò mộng giữa loài người. Nay những trụ cột ấy đã rời cõi thế, làm sao một binh sĩ nào trong quân ta còn có thể sống?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of power structures built on a few exceptional individuals: when the principal protectors fall, collective confidence collapses. It also underscores impermanence in war and the ethical weight of relying on might rather than stable dharma-based order.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of the departure (death) of two key champions on whom the Kauravas depended, expresses disbelief that any of his soldiers could survive. His words convey shock, grief, and the sense that the army’s very life depended on those leaders.
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