Shloka 313
अश्रमवासिनां विषादः — Lament in Hastināpura after the Elders’ Forest Withdrawal
भीष्मं शान्तनवं वृद्ध द्रोणं च द्विजसत्तमम् । “महाबली शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्म तथा वृद्ध ब्राह्मणप्रवर द्रोणाचार्यका वध कराकर मेरे मनको बारंबार दुःसह संताप प्राप्त होता है
bhīṣmaṃ śāntanavaṃ vṛddhaṃ droṇaṃ ca dvijasattamam |
Vaiśampāyana said: “The slaying of Bhīṣma, the aged son of Śāntanu, and of Droṇa, the foremost among the twice-born brāhmaṇas, repeatedly brings an unbearable anguish to my mind.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when war is fought under the banner of duty, the killing of revered elders and teachers leaves a lasting moral wound; remembrance of such acts becomes a source of inner torment and ethical reflection.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana voices recurring sorrow over the deaths of Bhīṣma and Droṇa—figures of great age, authority, and learning—highlighting the tragic cost of the Kurukṣetra conflict.