Shloka 286

Subhadrā-vilāpaḥ — Subhadrā’s Lament for Abhimanyu

Droṇa-parva 55

Devanagari script

सो5स्याकर: काउचनस्य तस्य यत्नं चरामहे । उन डाकुओंमेंसे कोई-कोई इस प्रकार बोले--“हम सब लोग स्वयं इस राजाके पुत्रको अधिकारमें कर लें; क्योंकि वही इस सुवर्णकी खान है। अतः हम उसीको पकड़नेका यत्न करें!

Transliteration

so 'syākaraḥ kāñcanasya tasya yatnaṃ carāmahe | teṣu dākuṣu kecid evaṃ prāhuḥ—“vayaṃ sarve svayam asya rājaputrasya vaśaṃ kariṣyāmaḥ; sa eva hi suvarṇasya khaniḥ; ataḥ tam eva gṛhītuṃ yatāmahe” ||

Translation

उन डाकुओं में से कुछ इस प्रकार बोले—“वही तो इस सोने की खान है; हम उसी के लिए प्रयत्न करें। आओ, हम सब अपने बल से राजा के पुत्र को वश में कर लें, क्योंकि वही इस धन का मूल है; इसलिए उसी को पकड़ने का यत्न करें।”

Word by Word

सःhe

अस्यof this (one)

आकरःmine; source

काञ्चनस्यof gold

तस्यof him/that

यत्नम्effort

चरामहेwe undertake; we exert ourselves

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

bandits (dākus)

the king’s son (rājaputra)

gold (kāñcana/suvarṇa)

mine/source of gold (ākara/khani)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse exposes how greed (lobha) dehumanizes: the bandits see the prince not as a person with dignity but as a ‘mine of gold.’ It implicitly warns that treating humans as instruments for wealth is adharma and leads to further violence and moral collapse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa narrates that among a group of bandits, some propose a plan: instead of merely seeking the gold, they will capture the king’s son himself, believing he is the true source of the treasure, and they resolve to seize him.