Shloka 286
Subhadrā-vilāpaḥ — Subhadrā’s Lament for Abhimanyu
Droṇa-parva 55
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!
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” ||
Di antara para bandit itu ada yang berkata demikian: “Dialah tambang emas itu; untuk dialah kita harus berusaha. Mari kita semua, dengan kekuatan kita sendiri, menundukkan putra raja, sebab hanya dialah sumber harta itu. Karena itu, berjuanglah untuk menangkapnya!”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.