Shloka 46
एवं विलप्य बहुधा भिन्नपोतो वणिग् यथा
evaṁ विलप्य bahudhā bhinnapoto vaṇig yathā
Sañjaya said: Having lamented in many ways—like a merchant whose ship has been shattered—he gave voice to grief born of sudden ruin, as one who sees all support and hope broken in the midst of calamity.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly supports: when the foundations of security collapse (like a ship breaking at sea), the mind naturally falls into lamentation. In the war-ethic context of the Mahābhārata, it highlights how attachment and sudden reversal intensify sorrow, reminding the listener of impermanence amid conflict.
Sañjaya narrates that a person (contextually, a warrior/leader affected by battlefield catastrophe) laments repeatedly and intensely. The comparison to a merchant with a wrecked ship conveys total loss—wealth, plans, and safety—mirroring the emotional devastation caused by events in the Drona Parva battle.