Shloka 14
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय ८७: सात्यकेरनुयात्रा
Sātyaki’s resolve and departure to reach Arjuna
उपास्यमानो बहुभि: कुरुपाण्डवसात्वतै: । सूत तस्य गृहे शब्दो नाद्य द्रौणे्यथा पुरा,सूत संजय! मेरे पुत्रोंके परम आश्रय जिस महाथनुर्थर द्रोणपुत्र अश्वत्थामाकी ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय और वैश्य सभी जातियोंके शिष्य उपासना (निकट रहकर सेवा) करते रहे हैं, जो वितण्डावाद, भाषण, पारस्परिक बातचीत, द्रुतस्वरमें बजाये हुए वाद्योंके शब्दों तथा भाँति- भाँतिके अभीष्ट गीतोंसे दिन-रात मन बहलाया करता था, जिसके पास बहुत-से कौरव, पाण्डव और सात्वतवंशी वीर बैठा करते थे, उस अश्वत्थामाके घरमें आज पहलेके समान हर्षसूचक शब्द नहीं हो रहा है
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | upāsyamāno bahubhiḥ kuru-pāṇḍava-sātvataiḥ | sūta tasya gṛhe śabdo nādya drauṇey yathā purā | sūta sañjaya |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O Sūta, O Sañjaya—Aśvatthāmā, the son of Droṇa, who has long been attended and served by many—by Kurus, Pāṇḍavas, and the Sātvatas—whose house formerly resounded with lively sounds, does not today produce the same joyful clamour as before.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly splendour: even a celebrated warrior’s household—once full of attendants and lively sounds—can fall into silence. It points to the ethical cost of war, where social honour and communal joy are quickly eclipsed by fear, loss, and moral exhaustion.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about Aśvatthāmā (Droṇa’s son). He recalls how Aśvatthāmā used to be surrounded by many prominent warriors and attendants, and notes that today his house no longer resounds with the same cheerful noise—suggesting a sudden change in fortune or mood amid the turmoil of the war.