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Shloka 3

Janmaveśma-praveśa and Uttarā’s Śaraṇāgati

Entry into the Birth-Chamber and Uttarā’s Appeal

वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! कुन्तीदेवीके बैठ जानेपर सुभद्रा अपने भाई श्रीकृष्णणी ओर देखकर फूट-फ़ूटकर रोने लगी और दु:ःखसे आर्त होकर यों बोली --

vaiśampāyana uvāca—janamejaya! kuntīdevy upaviṣṭāyāṃ subhadrā svaṃ bhrātaraṃ śrīkṛṣṇaṃ nirīkṣya prarudatī duḥkhārtā cedam uvāca—iṣīkā droṇaputreṇa bhīmasenārtham udyatā | sāttarāyāṃ nipatitā vijaye mayi caiva ha ||

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Janamejaya! Als Königin Kuntī Platz genommen hatte, wandte Subhadrā den Blick zu ihrem Bruder Śrī Kṛṣṇa und brach in heftiges Weinen aus. Vom Schmerz überwältigt, sprach sie: ‚Das schilfgleiche Geschoss, das Droṇas Sohn Aśvatthāmā erhob, um Bhīmasena zu töten, ist auf Uttarā gefallen—auf Vijaya, deinen Gefährten—und auch auf mich.‘“

इषीकाthe (reed-)arrow/shaft
इषीका:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootइषीका
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
द्रोणपुत्रेणby Droṇa's son (Aśvatthāman)
द्रोणपुत्रेण:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootद्रोणपुत्र
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
भीमसेनार्थम्for Bhīmasena
भीमसेनार्थम्:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootभीमसेन
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
उद्यताraised/brandished
उद्यता:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootउद्-यत
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
साthat (arrow), it
सा:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
उत्तरायाम्upon/in Uttara
उत्तरायाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootउत्तरा
FormFeminine, Locative, Singular
निपतिताfallen
निपतिता:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootनि-पत्
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
विजयेupon/in Vijaya
विजये:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootविजय
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
मयिupon/in me
मयि:
Adhikarana
TypePronoun
Rootअस्मद्
Form—, Locative, Singular
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
एवindeed/just
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
indeed (emphatic particle)
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root

वैशम्पायन उवाच

V
Vaiśampāyana
J
Janamejaya
K
Kuntī
S
Subhadrā
Ś
Śrī Kṛṣṇa
D
Droṇaputra (Aśvatthāman)
B
Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
U
Uttarā
V
Vijaya
I
iṣīkā (reed-like missile/arrow)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights the moral shock of misdirected or uncontrolled violence: a weapon raised with one intent ends up harming others, intensifying grief and raising ethical questions about responsibility in war and its aftermath.

After Kuntī sits, Subhadrā turns to Kṛṣṇa and breaks down, reporting that Aśvatthāman’s reed-like missile—raised to strike Bhīma—has instead fallen upon Uttarā, upon a companion named Vijaya, and upon herself, signaling a tragic turn and escalating lament.