Shloka 16
Śoka-śamana: Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation and Nārada’s Exempla to Sṛñjaya
Chapter 29
मृतान् महानुभावांस्त्व॑ श्रुव्वैव पृथिवीपतीन्
mṛtān mahānubhāvāṁs tvaṁ śrutvaiva pṛthivīpatīn
Al oír que aquellos reyes magnánimos—señores de la tierra—han muerto, te abate el peso de esa noticia. El verso evoca el sobresalto ético ante la mortalidad y el sobrio reconocimiento de que ni siquiera los soberanos más poderosos están más allá de la muerte.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores impermanence: even great kings and powerful rulers are subject to death. Ethically, it invites humility, restraint in pride, and a dharmic perspective that measures life by right conduct rather than worldly status.
Vāyudeva addresses the listener, pointing to the impact of hearing that eminent kings have died. The statement functions as a reflective prompt—turning attention from worldly greatness to the reality of death and the moral seriousness it demands.