Shloka 30
बभ्रुवाहन-धनंजययोः संग्रामः
Babhruvāhana and Dhanaṃjaya’s engagement at Maṇipūra
त्वामागतं च संश्रुत्य युद्धाय हयसारिणम् । पितुश्न मृत्युदुःखातोंडजहात् प्राणान् धनंजय
tvām āgataṃ ca saṃśrutya yuddhāya hayasāriṇam | pituś ca mṛtyu-duḥkhārto jahāt prāṇān dhanaṃjaya ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : «En apprenant que tu étais arrivé—poursuivant le cheval du sacrifice et venant ici pour combattre—il, accablé par la douleur de la mort de son père, abandonna la vie, ô Dhanaṃjaya. La nouvelle de ton approche rouvrit l’ancienne plaie du deuil, et le désespoir l’emporta sur lui.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and psychological aftermath of warfare: even when actions are undertaken under royal duty (such as the Aśvamedha campaign), the memory of past killings can trigger renewed trauma and despair in others. It implicitly warns that violence leaves enduring social and emotional consequences beyond the battlefield.
During the Aśvamedhika Parva, Arjuna is moving with the sacrificial horse and encounters resistance. Here, Vaiśampāyana reports that someone, upon hearing Arjuna has arrived for battle in connection with the horse, becomes overwhelmed by grief over his father’s earlier death and gives up his life.