Shloka 413

भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः

Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā

Devanagari script

विवर्णवदना भूत्वा पर्यपृच्छन्त ते सुतम्‌ वर्तमान जनसंहारमें राजाको न देखकर वे महारथी आपके पुत्रको मारा गया मान बैठे और मुँह उदास करके सबसे आपके पुत्रका पता पूछने लगे

Transliteration

vivarṇavadanā bhūtvā paryapṛcchanta te sutam | vartamāna-jana-saṃhārame rājānaṃ na dadṛśuḥ | te mahārathinaḥ putraṃ tava hataṃ manyamānāḥ | mukhaṃ viṣaṇṇaṃ kṛtvā sarvataḥ putrasya te vārttāṃ papracchuḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Their faces turned pale and downcast. Amid the ongoing slaughter, not seeing the king, those great chariot-warriors assumed your son had been slain, and with sorrowful looks began asking everywhere for news of him.

Word by Word

• विवर्ण-वदनाः: having pale/wan faces
• विवर्ण-वदनाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विवर्णवदन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भूत्वा: having become
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• परि-अपृच्छन्: they asked (around/repeatedly)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ्
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• ते: they/those
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सुतम्: son
• सुतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Duryodhana
• mahārathas (great chariot-warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war breeds confusion and premature conclusions: when leadership is not visible, fear turns into assumption, and collective grief spreads without verified knowledge—an ethical reminder of the human cost of violence and the fragility of judgment under terror.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the ongoing carnage, the Kaurava great warriors cannot see their king (Duryodhana). They infer he has been killed, become pale and dejected, and begin asking everywhere for information about him.