Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ
Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements
पुत्रस्य तव चात्यर्थ विषाद: समजायत
putrasya tava cātyartha viṣādaḥ samajāyata
संजय बोले: तुम्हारे पुत्र के विषय में तुम्हें अत्यन्त विषाद उत्पन्न हुआ—ऐसा तीव्र शोक, जो इन युद्ध-समाचारों के बीच तुम्हारे हृदय को जकड़ गया।
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how intense attachment to one’s own (especially to a child) can overwhelm judgment and inner steadiness; in the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such grief is also a consequence of choices that led to destructive conflict.
Sañjaya, narrating the battlefield events to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, observes that upon hearing about his son’s situation, Dhṛtarāṣṭra is seized by extreme sorrow.