Shloka 37

Duryodhana’s Post-Duel Lament and Instructions (भग्नसक्थस्य विलापः)

Devanagari script

ततस्तु यादवश्रेष्ठो धृतराष्ट्रमधोक्षज:

Transliteration

tatastu yādavaśreṣṭho dhṛtarāṣṭram adhokṣajaḥ

Translation

Then the foremost of the Yādavas—Adhokṣaja (Kṛṣṇa), the Lord beyond the reach of the senses—approached Dhṛtarāṣṭra, setting the stage for counsel and moral reckoning amid the aftermath of war.

Word by Word

ततःthen; thereafter

तुbut; indeed

यादवश्रेष्ठःthe best of the Yadavas

धृतराष्ट्रम्Dhṛtarāṣṭra

अधोक्षजःAdhokṣaja (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kṛṣṇa (Adhokṣaja, Yādavaśreṣṭha)

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse signals a morally charged encounter: Kṛṣṇa, identified as Adhokṣaja (the transcendent Lord), turns toward Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implying that political power and personal grief must be met with higher counsel grounded in dharma and accountability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates a transition: Kṛṣṇa, the foremost Yādava, goes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. The line functions as a connective moment leading into dialogue or action involving the blind king in the war’s concluding developments.