Shloka 86

धृतराष्ट्र-सत्कारः तथा श्राद्ध-दाने नियमनम् | Honoring Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Regulating Śrāddha-Gifts

Devanagari script

शोकमस्मस्कृतं प्राप्य न प्रियेतेति चिन्त्यते । उन्हें सदा इस बातकी चिन्ता बनी रहती थी कि पुत्र-पौत्रोंके वधसे पीड़ित हुए बूढ़े राजा धृतराष्ट्र हमारी ओरसे शोक पाकर कहीं अपने प्राण न त्याग दें

Transliteration

śokam asmātkṛtaṃ prāpya na priyeta iti cintyate |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Ils demeuraient sans cesse inquiets, se disant : « Que le vieux roi Dhṛtarāṣṭra—déjà tourmenté par le chagrin de la mort de ses fils et de ses petits-fils—ne soit pas accablé d’une douleur nouvelle par notre fait, et que, dans le désespoir, il n’abandonne pas la vie. »

Word by Word

शोकम्grief, sorrow

अस्मत्कृतम्done by us / caused by us

प्राप्यhaving obtained / having met with

नnot

प्रियेतेis pleased / rejoices

इतिthus

चिन्त्यतेis thought / is considered

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

sons and grandsons (putra-pautra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when one is not directly at fault, dharma requires sensitivity to the suffering of others; the victors must avoid actions or neglect that could deepen the grief of the defeated and vulnerable, especially elders like Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the aftermath of the great war, the narrating voice notes the continuing anxiety of the protagonists: they fear that Dhṛtarāṣṭra, already crushed by the deaths of his descendants, might be further pained by sorrow connected with them and could even renounce life in despair.