Shloka 4
कर्णसेनापत्यारम्भः — Karṇa’s Appointment and the Report to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
Chapter 1
ते वेश्मस्वपि कौरव्य पृथ्वीशा नाप्लुवन् सुखम् । चिन्तयन्त: क्षयं तीव्रं दःखशोकसमन्विता:
te veśmasv api kauravya pṛthvīśā nāpluvan sukham | cintayantaḥ kṣayaṃ tīvraṃ duḥkhaśokasamanvitāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Ô rejeton des Kurus, même dans leurs propres quartiers les rois ne trouvèrent aucun réconfort. Se remémorant l’effroyable destruction de la bataille, ils furent submergés de peine et de chagrin.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inescapable psychological and ethical aftermath of violence: even powerful rulers cannot enjoy comfort when their minds are haunted by the intense destruction they have witnessed or caused. It implicitly warns that adharma and excessive bloodshed yield inner unrest rather than lasting gain.
Vaiśampāyana describes the condition of the kings after the battle’s devastation: though they are in their own quarters/camp, they cannot find peace, because they keep recalling the terrible losses and are submerged in grief and sorrow.