Shloka 9
Subhadrā’s Petition to Kṛṣṇa for the Revival of Parīkṣit (अभिमन्युज-प्राणरक्षा-प्रार्थना)
स तु राजा महाराज ब्रद्यास्त्रेणावपीडित: । शवो बभूव निश्रेष्टो हर्षशोकविवर्धन:
sa tu rājā mahārāja brahmastrena avapīḍitaḥ | śavo babhūva niśceṣṭo harṣaśokavivardhanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô grand roi, cet enfant royal (Parīkṣit), écrasé par la puissance du Brahmāstra, naquit tel un corps sans vie, entièrement privé de mouvement ; et il devint ainsi pour les siens une cause d’accroissement à la fois de joie et de chagrin.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grave ethical consequence of deploying irresistible weapons like the Brahmāstra: their harm can extend beyond the battlefield to innocents, intensifying collective joy and grief and testing a community’s dharma and compassion.
Vaiśampāyana describes the condition of Parīkṣit at birth: due to the Brahmāstra’s affliction he appears lifeless and motionless, which causes his relatives and people to experience heightened emotional turmoil—hope and happiness mixed with fear and sorrow.