Shloka 16
Jayadrathasya śoka-bhaya-vilāpaḥ — Droṇena āśvāsanaṃ ca
Jayadratha’s lament and Droṇa’s reassurance
मृता इति च शब्दो<यं वर्तते च ततो<र्थवत् । इमे मृता महीपाला: प्रायशो भीमविक्रमा:
mṛtā iti ca śabdo 'yaṃ vartate ca tato 'rthavat | ime mṛtā mahīpālāḥ prāyaśo bhīmavikramāḥ ||
«Le mot “mort” est bel et bien employé, et il porte donc son sens propre. Ces rois sont morts—pour la plupart des guerriers à la prouesse redoutable.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of words: when one uses a term like “dead,” it should be treated as carrying its full truth-value and consequence. In the war context, speech is not merely rhetorical—naming death acknowledges real moral and human loss.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the reality of the battlefield: the term “dead” is not figurative but literally applicable, since many kings—renowned for formidable valor—have been slain. The statement underscores the scale and gravity of the carnage in Droṇa Parva.