Shloka 22
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
निहन्तारं रणे<5रीणां सर्वशस्त्रभृतां वरम् मया विनिहतं संख्ये प्रेक्षते दुर्मरं बत
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: nihantāraṁ raṇe 'rīṇāṁ sarvaśastrabhṛtāṁ varam mayā vinihataṁ saṅkhye prekṣate durmaraṁ bata.
“হায়! যিনি রণে শত্রুনাশক, সকল অস্ত্রধারীদের মধ্যে শ্রেষ্ঠ, এবং যাঁকে বধ করা অতি দুরূহ—তাঁকেই আমি যুদ্ধে নিধন করেছি; আর এখন সেই অসহনীয় দৃশ্য আমার মা দেখছেন।”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight and emotional cost of warfare: even when one defeats a formidable warrior, the outcome can be ethically and psychologically unbearable, underscoring the tragic consequences that accompany martial duty.
The speaker reports a battlefield scene in which a renowned, nearly invincible warrior—celebrated as a destroyer of enemies and best among armed fighters—has been killed by the narrator’s side, and the sight of him lying slain is described as extremely difficult to endure.