Shloka 26
सौप्तिकपर्व — धृष्टद्युम्नसारथिवृत्तान्तः
Report of the Night Raid and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament
तच्छोकजं दुःखमपारयन्ती कथं भविष्यत्युचिता सुखानाम् | पुत्रक्षय भ्रातृवधप्रणुन्ना प्रदह्ममानेन हुताशनेन
tacchokajaṃ duḥkham apārayantī kathaṃ bhaviṣyaty ucitā sukhānām | putrakṣaya bhrātṛvadhapraṇunnā pradahyamānena hutāśanena ||
Sūta dit : «Elle, accoutumée au seul confort, ne pourra supporter cette souffrance née du deuil : en quel état sera-t-elle réduite ? Frappée par la perte de ses fils et le meurtre de ses frères, le feu intérieur du chagrin, embrasé en elle, la consumera, et sa condition deviendra profondément pitoyable.»
सूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and human cost of violence: beyond battlefield victory, the true consequence is the unbearable grief inflicted on families. It uses the metaphor of an inner fire to show how loss consumes a person from within, urging compassion and moral reflection on war’s aftermath.
Sūta describes a woman—one accustomed to comfort—who will be overwhelmed by sorrow after the destruction of her sons and the killing of her brothers. The narration emphasizes her impending, pitiable condition as grief burns in her heart like fire.