Shloka 10
Brahmāstra-pratisaṃhāraḥ, Parīkṣit-nāmakaraṇam, Nagarotsava-varṇanam
Withdrawal of the Brahmāstra; Naming of Parīkṣit; Description of Civic Festivities
अथवा दुर्मरं तात यदिदं मे सहस्नधा । पतिपुत्रविहीनाया हृदयं न विदीर्यते,“तात! जान पड़ता है, मनुष्यके लिये मरना अत्यन्त कठिन है, क्योंकि पति और पुत्रसे हीन होनेपर भी मेरे इस हृदयके हजारों टुकड़े नहीं हो रहे हैं
athavā durmaraṃ tāta yad idaṃ me sahasradhā | pati-putra-vihīnāyā hṛdayaṃ na vidīryate ||
O bien, hijo querido, parece que morir es en extremo difícil para un ser humano—pues aunque estoy privada de esposo y de hijos, mi corazón no se parte en mil pedazos.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of human life: even under crushing loss, the embodied self continues to live. It points to the severity of suffering and the unexpected durability of the heart, inviting reflection on endurance, the limits of emotion, and the inevitability of living through consequences.
Vaiśampāyana reports a lament in which a bereaved woman—deprived of husband and sons—marvels that she has not died and that her heart has not shattered. The line functions as a poignant expression of post-war/post-tragedy sorrow within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s broader aftermath.