धृतराष्ट्र उवाच
दृष्ट्वा मम हतान् पुत्रान् बहून् एकेन संजय ॥
भीष्मो द्रोणः कृपश् चैव किम् अकुर्वत संयुगे ॥
अहन्य् अहनि मे पुत्राः क्षयं गच्छन्ति संजय ॥
मन्ये ऽहं सर्वथा सूत दैवेनोपहता भृशम् ॥
यत्र मे तनयाः सर्वे जीयन्ते न जयन्त्य् उत ॥
यत्र भीष्मस्य द्रोणस्य कृपस्य च महात्मनः ॥
सौमदत्तेश् च वीरस्य भगदत्तस्य चोभयोः ॥
अश्वत्थाम्नस् तथा तात शूराणां सुमहात्मनाम् ॥
अन्येषां चैव वीराणां मध्यगास् तनया मम ॥
यद् अहन्यन्त संग्रामे किम् अन्यद् भागधेयतः ॥
न हि दुर्योधनो मन्दः पुरा प्रोक्तम् अबुध्यत ॥
वार्यमाणो मया तात भीष्मेण विदुरेण च ॥
गान्धार्या चैव दुर्मेधाः सततं हितकाम्यया ॥
नावबुध्यत् पुरा मोहात् तस्य प्राप्तम् इदं फलम् ॥
यद् भीमसेनः समरे पुत्रान् मम विचेतसः ॥
अहन्य् अहनि संक्रुद्धो नयते यमसादनम् ॥
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
dṛṣṭvā mama hatān putrān bahūn ekena saṃjaya ||
bhīṣmo droṇaḥ kṛpaś caiva kim akurvata saṃyuge ||
ahany ahani me putrāḥ kṣayaṃ gacchanti saṃjaya ||
manye 'haṃ sarvathā sūta daivenopahatā bhṛśam ||
yatra me tanayāḥ sarve jīyante na jayanty uta ||
yatra bhīṣmasya droṇasya kṛpasya ca mahātmanaḥ ||
saumadatteś ca vīrasya bhagadattasya cobhayoḥ ||
aśvatthāmnas tathā tāta śūrāṇāṃ sumahātmanām ||
anyeṣāṃ caiva vīrāṇāṃ madhyagās tanayā mama ||
yad ahanyanta saṃgrāme kim anyad bhāgadheyataḥ ||
na hi duryodhano mandaḥ purā proktam abudhyata ||
vāryamāṇo mayā tāta bhīṣmeṇa vidureṇa ca ||
gāndhāryā caiva durmedhāḥ satataṃ hitakāmyayā ||
nāvabudhyat purā mohāt tasya prāptam idaṃ phalam ||
yad bhīmasenaḥ samare putrān mama vicetasaḥ ||
ahany ahani saṃkruddho nayate yamasādanam ||
Dhritarashtra said: 'Having seen how a single warrior slew so many of my sons, Sanjaya, what were Bhishma, Drona, and Kripa doing in the battle? Day after day my sons go to their destruction, Sanjaya; I think, O Suta, that they have been cruelly struck down by fate. Since all my sons suffer defeat and never win, though Bhishma, Drona, magnanimous Kripa, the hero Saumadatti, Bhagadatta, Ashvatthaman, and other valiant great warriors stand beside them, what can this be but the portion of fate? Foolish Duryodhana did not understand what was told to him before, though I, Bhishma, Vidura, and Gandhari, who ever wished him well, restrained him. Out of delusion he did not grasp it then, and now this fruit has come to him: day after day, enraged Bhimasena sends my reckless sons to the abode of Yama.'
aa92e7d0d55b · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:46:25 PM UTC
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Dhritarashtra sees the consequences but still prefers to call them fate. His words already approach an admission of guilt, yet he speaks of Duryodhana's delusion without carrying the thought through to his own responsibility for letting that delusion rule the kingdom.