Shloka 13

Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)

Devanagari script

काम॑ स्वपितु बालो<यं भूमौ मृत्युवशं गतः । लोहिताक्षो गुडाकेशो विजय: साधु जीवतु,'मृत्युके वशमें पड़ा हुआ मेरा यह बालक चाहे सदाके लिये भूमिपर सोता रह जाय, किंतु निद्राके स्वामी, विजय पानेवाले अरुणनयन अर्जुन अवश्य जीवित हों--यही उत्तम है

Transliteration

kāmaṃ svapitu bālo 'yaṃ bhūmau mṛtyuvaśaṃ gataḥ | lohitākṣo guḍākeśo vijayaḥ sādhu jīvatu ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Möge dieses Kind, das in die Gewalt des Todes geraten ist, auf der Erde schlafen, so lange es auch sei; doch möge Arjuna—rotäugig, Herr über den Schlaf (Guḍākeśa) und stets siegreich—wahrhaft leben. Das ist in der Tat der bessere Weg.“

Word by Word

कामम्even if; let it be

स्वपितुmay (he) sleep

बालःthe child

अयम्this

भूमौon the ground

मृत्युवशम्under the control of death

गतःgone; having fallen into

लोहिताक्षःred-eyed (one)

गुडाकेशःGudakesha (Arjuna)

विजयःVijaya (the victorious one)

साधुindeed; rightly; it is good

जीवतुmay (he) live

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Mṛtyu (Death)

Arjuna (Guḍākeśa, Lohitākṣa, Vijaya)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts private grief with public duty: even if a personal loss must be endured, the preservation of a righteous protector (Arjuna) is presented as the greater good, reflecting an ethic of prioritizing dharma and collective welfare over individual attachment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates a moment of intense lament and valuation: a child is described as lying on the ground under Death’s power, while a fervent wish is voiced that Arjuna—identified by multiple epithets—should live, implying that his survival is crucial for the unfolding restoration and protection after the war.