Shloka 4
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
वज्रसारमयं नून॑ हृदयं सुदृढं मम । यच्छुत्वा निहतानू पुत्रान् दीर्यते न सहस्रधा,निश्चय ही मेरा यह सुदृढ़ हृदय वज्रके सारतत्त्वका बना हुआ है; क्योंकि अपने पुत्रोंको मारा गया सुनकर भी इसके सहसोरं टुकड़े नहीं हो जाते हैं
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | vajrasāramayaṃ nūnaṃ hṛdayaṃ sudṛḍhaṃ mama | yac chrutvā nihatān putrān dīryate na sahasradhā ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „Wahrlich, mein Herz ist aus dem Wesen des Adamanten gemacht und überaus hart; denn selbst als ich höre, dass meine Söhne erschlagen sind, zerbricht es nicht in tausend Stücke.“
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral and emotional hardening: when one’s attachments and choices have long ignored dharma, even devastating news may not awaken the expected compassion or remorse. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s statement functions as self-critique—recognizing a heart rendered ‘adamant’ by habitual partiality and denial.
In Śalya Parva, Dhṛtarāṣṭra hears reports of the slaughter of his sons in the Kurukṣetra war. Instead of collapsing in immediate, overwhelming grief, he remarks with shock that his heart has not shattered, calling it vajra-like in hardness.