Shloka 173
प्रेत्य चेह च सम्प्राप्तास्त्रायन्ते महतो भयात् । “कुरुनन्दन! पांचालोंका वध करके ही मैं शान्ति पा सकूँगा। पुरुषसिंह! मनुष्य इसीलिये पुत्रोंकी इच्छा करते हैं कि वे प्राप्त होनेपर इहलोक और परलोकमें भी महान् भयसे रक्षा करेंगे
pretya ceha ca samprāptās trāyante mahato bhayāt |
Sañjaya said: “O scion of Kuru, only by slaying the Pāñcālas shall I find peace. O lion among men, people desire sons because, once attained and grown, they protect one from great fear—both here in this world and after death.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse expresses a traditional social-ethical idea: sons are desired because they are expected to provide protection and continuity, offering security against “great fear” both in worldly life and in the post-mortem realm. In the war context, this ideal is juxtaposed with violent resolve, highlighting the tension between familial duty/protection and the destructive demands of vengeance and battle.
Sañjaya reports a statement framed around the belief that offspring, once attained, protect one in both worlds. Around this line, the narrative voice also conveys a warrior’s determination to find “peace” only after killing the Pāñcālas, reflecting the escalating brutality and justificatory rhetoric within the Drona Parva’s battlefield events.