Shloka 3
Chapter 6: Dāruka’s Report; Arjuna Witnesses Dvārakā’s Desolation (दारुकवृत्तान्तः—अर्जुनस्य द्वारकादर्शनम्)
तस्य मूर्धानमाच्रातुमियेषानकदुन्दुभि: । स्वस्रीयस्य महाबाहुर्न शशाक च शत्रुहन्,शत्रुधाती नरेश! महाबाहु आनकदुन्दुभि (वसुदेव)-ने चाहा कि मैं अपने भानजे अर्जुनका मस्तक सूँघ लूँ; परंतु असमर्थतावश वे ऐसा न कर सके
tasya mūrdhānam āghrātum iyeṣa ānakadundubhiḥ | svasrīyasya mahābāhur na śaśāka ca śatruhan ||
Vasudeva yang disebut Ānakadundubhi ingin mencium (menghirup harum) kepala Arjuna, putra saudari perempuannya—sebuah berkat kasih keluarga. Namun, meski berlengan perkasa dan penakluk musuh, pada saat itu ia tak sanggup melakukannya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the powerful can be rendered helpless by fate and loss; dharmic life includes honoring bonds of kinship and expressing compassion, while accepting human limitation and impermanence.
Vāsudeva (Ānakadundubhi) wishes to perform a tender familial gesture—smelling/kissing Arjuna’s head as a blessing—but he cannot, indicating a moment of emotional or physical incapacity amid the tragic aftermath described in the Mausala Parva.