Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 563

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

Devanagari script

स शोचन्‌ नरशार्दूल: शान्तिं नैवाधिगच्छति । 'पुरुषसिंह! आप और यशस्विनी गान्धारी देवीके लिये निरन्तर शोक करते हुए नरश्रेष्ठ युधिष्ठिरको शान्ति नहीं मिल रही है

Transliteration

sa śocan naraśārdūlaḥ śāntiṃ naivādhigacchati |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Though he grieved, that tiger among men could not attain peace. Yudhiṣṭhira, the best of men, remained unquiet—continually lamenting for the lion-like Dhṛtarāṣṭra and for the illustrious lady Gāndhārī—showing how even righteous hearts can be shaken by compassion and the weight of kin-sorrow after war.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शोचन्: grieving, lamenting
• शोचन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुच्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नरशार्दूलः: tiger among men (best of men)
• नरशार्दूलः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरशार्दूल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शान्तिम्: peace, calm
• शान्तिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्ति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• एव: indeed, at all
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• अधिगच्छति: attains, obtains
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि-गम्
• Form: Present (Lat), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Gāndhārī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a dharmic ruler may fail to find inner peace when compassion and responsibility toward elders and family weigh heavily; grief must be processed, not merely endured, for śānti to arise.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes Yudhiṣṭhira’s continuing sorrow: despite being a foremost man, he cannot attain peace because he keeps mourning for Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the renowned Gāndhārī in the war’s aftermath.