Shloka 41
बभ्रुवाहन-धनंजययोः संग्रामः
Babhruvāhana and Dhanaṃjaya’s engagement at Maṇipūra
एवं ब्रुवत्यां करुणं दुःशलायां धनंजय:,जब दु:शला इस प्रकार करुणायुक्त वचन कहने लगी, तब अर्जुन राजा धृतराष्ट्र और गान्धारी देवीको याद करके दुःख और शोकसे पीड़ित हो क्षत्रिय-धर्मकी निन्दा करने लगे --
evaṁ bruvatyāṁ karuṇaṁ duḥśalāyāṁ dhanaṁjayaḥ
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Cuando Duḥśalā pronunció aquellas palabras compasivas, cargadas de duelo, Dhanaṁjaya (Arjuna), al recordar al rey Dhṛtarāṣṭra y a la reina Gāndhārī, quedó abatido por la pena y el lamento, y comenzó a censurar el dharma de los kṣatriyas que había conducido a tanto sufrimiento.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between prescribed warrior duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and the human cost of violence: compassion and grief can provoke a moral re-evaluation of actions justified as 'duty,' especially when the consequences devastate families and elders.
Duḥśalā is speaking with deep compassion and sorrow. Hearing her, Arjuna is emotionally shaken; he recalls Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Gāndhārī and, afflicted by grief, begins to criticize the warrior code that culminated in widespread suffering.