अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira
पृथिवी निहता सर्वा सहया सरथद्विपा । “उन विद्या और बाहुबलसे सम्पन्न पुरुषसिंहोंने रथ, घोड़े और हाथियोंसहित इस सारी पृथ्वीका नाश कर डाला
pṛthivī nihatā sarvā sahayā sarathadvipā |
毗舍波耶那说道:大地尽被夷灭——连同战马、战车与战象——皆为那些狮子般的男子所毁;他们兼具学识与臂力。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Even when warriors possess learning and heroic strength, unchecked violence can culminate in universal loss. The verse highlights the ethical reckoning of war: prowess without restraint can devastate the very world meant to be protected.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana describes the aftermath and scale of destruction: the earth itself is portrayed as ruined along with the instruments and forces of war—horses, chariots, and elephants—evoking the totality of the conflict’s damage.