नूनं बुद्धिविहीनश् चाप्य् असहायश् च मे सुतः ॥
शत्रुभिर् व्यंसितोपायः कथं नु स जयेद् अरीन् ॥
या ह्य् अस्य परमा शक्तिर् जयस्य च परायणम् ॥
सा शक्तिर् वासुदेवेन व्यंसितास्य घटोत्कचे ॥
कुणेर् यथा हस्तगतं ह्रियेद् बिल्वं बलीयसा ॥
तथा शक्तिर् अमोघा सा मोघीभूता घटोत्कचे ॥
यथा वराहस्य शुनश् च युध्यतोस्; तयोर् अभावे श्वपचस्य लाभः ॥
मन्ये विद्वन् वासुदेवस्य तद्वद्; युद्धे लाभः कर्णहैडिम्बयोर् वै ॥
nūnaṃ buddhivihīnaś cāpy asahāyaś ca me sutaḥ ||
śatrubhir vyaṃsitopāyaḥ kathaṃ nu sa jayed arīn ||
yā hy asya paramā śaktir jayasya ca parāyaṇam ||
sā śaktir vāsudevena vyaṃsitāsya ghaṭotkace ||
kuṇer yathā hastagataṃ hriyed bilvaṃ balīyasā ||
tathā śaktir amoghā sā moghībhūtā ghaṭotkace ||
yathā varāhasya śunaś ca yudhyatos; tayor abhāve śvapacasya lābhaḥ ||
manye vidvan vāsudevasya tadvad; yuddhe lābhaḥ karṇahaiḍimbayor vai ||
"Truly, my son is deprived of wits and helpless, his schemes disrupted by enemies; how then will he conquer his enemies? For his supreme dart and the mainstay of victory — that dart was spent by Vasudeva on Ghatotkacha. As the fruit in the hand of a maimed man would be taken away by one stronger, so that unfailing dart became vain on Ghatotkacha. As when a boar and a dog fight, at their death the gain is the dog-cooker's [hunter's], so, I think, O wise one, likewise the gain in battle is Vasudeva's — Karna's and the son of Hidimba's."
642e1d26a340 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:58:11 PM UTC
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Dhritarashtra perceives the truth in the image of a hunter who profits from the fight of a boar and a dog: whichever fighter falls, Krishna wins. It is telling that even the blind enemy discerns the cunning of the design. The verse teaches that in the clash of two forces a third, wiser one is often the true victor; and one who can turn another's enmity to his own advantage wins without drawing a sword.