Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 673
Duryodhana’s Post-Duel Lament and Instructions (भग्नसक्थस्य विलापः)
त्वं गति: सहितैवीरिे: पाण्डवैदविपदां वर | “मनुष्योंमें श्रेष्ठ केशव! ये राजा अन्धे और बूढ़े हैं तथा इनके सभी पुत्र मारे गये हैं। अब समस्त वीर पाण्डवोंके साथ तुम्हीं इनके आश्रयदाता हो”
tvaṃ gatiḥ sahitaiḥ vīraiḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ dvipadāṃ vara | manuṣyeṣu śreṣṭha keśava ime rājānaḥ andhāḥ vṛddhāś ca teṣāṃ sarve putrā hatāḥ | adhunā samastaiḥ vīraiḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ saha tvam eva eṣām āśrayadātā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O best of men, Keśava! You are the refuge and final recourse for these kings—together with the valiant Pāṇḍavas. These rulers are blind and aged, and all their sons have been slain. Now, with all the heroic Pāṇḍavas beside you, you alone must become their protector and giver of shelter.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even after victory, dharma requires care for the defeated and the vulnerable—especially the aged and bereaved. Leadership is shown not only in battle but in granting protection, shelter, and stability to those left helpless by war.
Vaiśampāyana describes an appeal to Kṛṣṇa (Keśava): many kings are now blind and old, their sons having been killed in the war. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, together with the Pāṇḍavas, is urged to become their support and protector in the war’s aftermath.
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