Shloka 12

धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa

Devanagari script

शोषणं सागरस्येव मेरोरिव विसर्पणम्‌

Transliteration

śoṣaṇaṃ sāgarasyeva meroriva visarpaṇam

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra parle d’un ton de sombre présage, usant de comparaisons tranchantes : ce qui est tenté ou ce qui se déchaîne paraît aussi impossible et contre nature que d’assécher l’océan ou de faire glisser le mont Meru hors de sa place.

Word by Word

• शोषणम्: drying up, desiccation
• शोषणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोषण
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• सागरस्य: of the ocean
• सागरस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• इव: like, as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• मेरोः: of Meru (the mountain)
• मेरोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• इव: like, as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• विसर्पणम्: spreading, creeping expansion
• विसर्पणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विसर्पण
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Sāgara (ocean/sea)
• Meru (Mount Meru)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how adharma-driven conflict strains the natural and moral order: when rulers cling to delusion and partiality, the consequences can feel as catastrophic and world-upending as impossible cosmic events.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra reacts to the unfolding war news with alarm, expressing that what is being sought or what is occurring seems nearly impossible—likened to drying the sea or dislodging Meru—signaling dread about the scale and inevitability of destruction.