Shloka 31
प्राप्तो बीभत्सुरित्येव नाम श्रुत्वैव तेडनघ । विषादार्त: पपातोर्व्या ममार च ममात्मज:,“अनघ! “अर्जुन आये” इन शब्दोंके साथ तुम्हारा नाममात्र सुनकर ही मेरा बेटा विषादसे पीड़ित हो पृथ्वीपर गिरा और मर गया
prāpto bībhatsur ity eva nāma śrutvaiva te 'nagha | viṣādārtaḥ papātorvyā mamāra ca mamātmajaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O sinless one, merely upon hearing your name—‘Bībhatsu has arrived’—my son, overwhelmed by grief and despair, fell to the earth and died.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how powerful grief (viṣāda) can be: even a mere report—only the name and arrival of a famed warrior—can trigger overwhelming despair leading to collapse. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that the consequences of conflict and fear persist beyond battle, affecting innocents through shock, sorrow, and psychological burden.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that when the words ‘Bībhatsu (Arjuna) has arrived’ were spoken, the speaker’s son, struck by despondency, fell to the ground and died. The line functions as a report of sudden death caused by intense emotional distress upon hearing Arjuna’s name and presence.