Shloka 20
Droṇotpattiḥ and Dhanurveda-Prāpti
Origin of Droṇa and Acquisition of Martial Science
अपुत्रा पुरुषव्याप्र विललापेति न: श्रुतम् । भद्रा परमदु:खार्ता तन्निबोध जनाधिप
aputrā puruṣavyāghra vilalāpeti naḥ śrutam | bhadrā paramaduḥkhārtā tannibodha janādhipa ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô tigre parmi les hommes, nous avons entendu que Bhadrā était sans fils et qu’ainsi elle se lamenta. Accablée du chagrin le plus profond, elle s’écria — écoutez-en le récit, ô roi.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the social and dharmic weight placed on progeny and lineage in epic culture, showing how childlessness can become a source of intense personal suffering; it also models attentive listening to a narrated tradition as a means of learning.
Vaiśampāyana reports to the king that Bhadrā had no son and, distressed by this, began to lament; he invites the listener to hear the account of her lamentation.