Shloka 9
मौसलपर्व — अध्याय ८
Arjuna’s evacuation of Dvārakā, Vasudeva’s rites, and the caravan’s crisis
बभूव वीरान्तकर: प्रभासे लोमहर्षण: । ब्राह्मणोंके शापसे मौसलयुद्धमें वृष्णिवंशी वीरोंका विनाश हो गया। बड़े-बड़े वीरोंका अन्त कर देनेवाला वह रोमाज्चकारी संग्राम प्रभासक्षेत्रमें घटित हुआ था ।। एते शूरा महात्मान: सिंहदर्पा महाबला:
babhūva vīrāntakaraḥ prabhāse lomaharṣaṇaḥ | brāhmaṇānāṃ śāpena mausala-yuddhe vṛṣṇivaṃśī-vīrāṇāṃ vināśo 'bhavat | baḍe-baḍe vīrāṇām antaṃ karoti sma sa romāñcakārī saṅgrāmaḥ prabhāsa-kṣetre ghaṭitaḥ || ete śūrā mahātmānaḥ siṃha-darpā mahābalāḥ ||
Arjuna berkata: “Di Prabhāsa terjadi pertempuran besar yang membuat bulu kuduk berdiri—perang yang sanggup mengakhiri bahkan para pahlawan teragung. Karena kutukan para brāhmaṇa, para kesatria dari wangsa Vṛṣṇi musnah dalam konflik Mausala. Perang yang menggetarkan itu, yang menamatkan para jawara besar, berlangsung di wilayah suci Prabhāsa. Mereka semua gagah berani, berhati luhur, berbangga laksana singa, dan amat perkasa.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the strongest and most celebrated warriors are subject to moral causality: when a community incurs a brāhmaṇa-śāpa through adharma, the result can be collective ruin. The passage underscores impermanence and the ethical weight of actions over mere power.
Arjuna recounts the catastrophic internecine conflict at Prabhāsa in which the Vṛṣṇi-line heroes annihilated one another in the Mausala-yuddha, a destruction triggered by a brāhmaṇas’ curse. He emphasizes the battle’s terrifying intensity and the stature of those who perished.