Shloka 226
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 53: Arjuna’s Jayadratha-vadha Pratijñā and Droṇa’s Protective Vyūha (शकटा-पद्म व्यूहः)
दध्यौ चात्यर्थमबला प्ररुरोद च सुस्वरम् । ब्रह्माजीके ऐसा कहनेपर वह मृत्युनामवाली कमललोचना अबला अत्यन्त चिन्तामग्न हो गयी और फूट-फूटकर रोने लगी
dadhyau cātyartham abalā praruroda ca susvaram |
Nārada said: Hearing Brahmā speak thus, the lotus-eyed woman—frail and overwhelmed—fell into deep, anxious reflection, and then burst into tears, weeping aloud in a clear, plaintive voice. The scene underscores how even the virtuous can be shaken by fate and divine pronouncement, and how grief naturally follows when one confronts the hard limits of human power.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical realism of the epic: even when dharma or divine instruction is present, the human heart may still be overcome by sorrow. Grief is not portrayed as a moral failure but as a natural response to confronting destiny and limitation.
Nārada narrates that after Brahmā’s statement, a lotus-eyed woman becomes deeply distressed, sinks into intense contemplation, and then breaks down crying aloud—signaling a turning point of emotional crisis following a divine or authoritative pronouncement.