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Shloka 16

आपद्धर्मे कोशबलन्यायः | Treasury, Force, and Crisis-Ethics for the King

दुर्लभ: स मया द्र॒ष्ट नूनं परमधार्मिक: । एक: पुत्रो महारण्ये नष्ट इत्यसकृत्‌ तदा

durlabhaḥ sa mayā draṣṭuṃ nūnaṃ paramadhārmikaḥ | ekaḥ putro mahāraṇye naṣṭa iti asakṛt tadā ||

“તે પરમ ધાર્મિક હતો; હવે તેનું દર્શન મને નિશ્ચયે દુર્લભ છે. મારો તો એક જ પુત્ર હતો, અને તે આ મહાવનમાં ખોવાઈ ગયો”—આ જ વાક્યો તેઓ ત્યારે વારંવાર પુનરાવર્તિત કરતા.

दुर्लभःhard to obtain/rare (to be seen)
दुर्लभः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootदुर्लभ
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
सःhe
सः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
मयाby me
मया:
Karana
TypePronoun
Rootअस्मद्
Form—, Instrumental, Singular
द्रष्टःseen
द्रष्टः:
Karma
TypeVerb
Rootदृश्
Formक्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular
नूनम्surely/indeed
नूनम्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootनूनम्
परमधार्मिकःsupremely righteous
परमधार्मिकः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootपरमधार्मिक
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
एकःone/only
एकः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootएक
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
पुत्रःson
पुत्रः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपुत्र
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
महा-अरण्येin the great forest
महा-अरण्ये:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootअरण्य
FormNeuter, Locative, Singular
नष्टःlost/perished
नष्टः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootनश्
Formक्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular
इतिthus/quoting
इति:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइति
असकृत्repeatedly
असकृत्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअसकृत्
तदाthen/at that time
तदा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतदा

भीष्म उवाच

B
Bhīṣma
A
a supremely righteous man (unnamed in this verse)
T
the son (unnamed)
M
mahāraṇya (great forest)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights how even a highly dharmic person can be overwhelmed by grief and attachment; repeated lamentation shows the human side of righteousness and invites compassion rather than judgment.

Bhīṣma recounts a scene where a very righteous man repeatedly laments that his only son has gone missing in a vast forest, implying separation and the difficulty of meeting him again.