Shloka 9
Abhimanyu’s Śrāddha; Vyāsa’s Assurance of the Unborn Heir (अभिमन्योः श्राद्धं तथा गर्भरक्षणोपदेशः)
सदृशाक्षस्तव कथं शत्रुभिर्निहतो रणे । दुर्मरं बत वार्ष्णेय काले<प्राप्ते नृभि: सह
sadṛśākṣas tava kathaṁ śatrubhir nihato raṇe | durmaraṁ bata vārṣṇeya kāle prāpte nṛbhiḥ saha ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Comment Sadṛśākṣa, ton fils, a-t-il pu être tué au combat par des ennemis ? Hélas — ô Vārṣṇeya — lorsque l’heure fixée par le destin survient, même celui qu’il était si difficile de vaincre trouve sa fin, avec ses hommes.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical reflection that even the most formidable warrior is not beyond death when Kāla (the destined time) arrives; human prowess is limited, and outcomes in war are ultimately subject to fate and the moral order that frames mortality.
Vaiśampāyana reports a death in battle: Sadṛśākṣa, described as difficult to overcome, has been killed by enemies. The speaker addresses a “Vārṣṇeya,” lamenting that with the arrival of the appointed time, Sadṛśākṣa fell along with his men.