Shloka 34
भक्तश्न मे महाबाहु: प्रियो<स्याहं प्रियश्व मे । तेन विन्दामि वार्ष्णेय कश्मलं शोकतापित:,4वार्ष्णेय! वह महाबाहु मेरा भक्त था। मैं उसे प्रिय था और वह मुझे; इसीलिये उसके शोकसे संतप्त होकर मैं मोहको प्राप्त हो रहा हूँ
bhaktaś ca me mahābāhuḥ priyo ’syāhaṃ priyaś ca me | tena vindāmi vārṣṇeya kaśmalaṃ śokatāpitaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Vārṣṇeya, yang berlengan perkasa itu berbakti kepadaku; aku pun dikasihinya, dan ia pun kukasihi. Maka, terbakar oleh duka atas dirinya, aku jatuh ke dalam kebingungan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how deep personal bonds—devotion and mutual affection—can intensify grief and lead even a normally steady person into kaśmala (bewildered, ethically clouded distress). It implicitly contrasts emotional attachment with the need for clarity and steadiness amid dharmic crisis.
Sañjaya, overwhelmed by sorrow for a beloved, devoted hero (referred to only as “the mighty-armed one”), addresses Kṛṣṇa as Vārṣṇeya and admits that grief has driven him into confusion. The line functions as a lament within the war narrative, showing the psychological toll of battlefield losses.