Shloka 323
Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
दैवदण्डमिमं घोरं स हि मे नाशयिष्यति । 'दैवकी अनुकूलताके सिवा दूसरा कोई उपाय नहीं है
daivadaṇḍam imaṃ ghoraṃ sa hi me nāśayiṣyati |
三阇耶说：“这可怖的命运之杖——这神罚——必定要毁灭我。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s ethical vision that violent actions and adharma generate consequences that feel like an inescapable ‘divine punishment’ (daivadaṇḍa). Human power and strategy cannot always avert the ripening of fate shaped by prior deeds.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, voices the overwhelming sense that a terrible, fate-driven retribution has arrived. The line functions as a grim recognition that the aftermath of the war is governed by forces beyond ordinary control.