Shloka 18
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
दृष्टवैव च पुरे राजज्जन: सर्व: स संजयम् । क्लेशेन महता युक्त सर्वतो राजसत्तम
dṛṣṭvaiva ca pure rājan janaḥ sarvaḥ sa sañjayam | kleśena mahatā yuktaṃ sarvato rājasattama ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, as soon as all the people in the city saw Sañjaya, they were struck on every side by great distress—so grievous was the burden he bore, and so ominous his arrival in the wake of war.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the consequences of adharma and war spread beyond the battlefield: even a messenger’s appearance can awaken collective sorrow, reminding rulers that public suffering is an ethical cost of conflict.
In the city, people see Sañjaya and immediately feel intense distress, sensing from his condition and presence that grave news has arrived from the war-front.