Shloka 11
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
ततस्तदा कुरुश्रेष्ठ वनस्थे त्वयि भारत । अवसद् द्वारकामेत्य वृष्णिश्रि: परमार्चित:
tatastadā kuruśreṣṭha vanasthe tvayi bhārata | avasad dvārakām etya vṛṣṇiśrīḥ paramārcitaḥ ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik di antara para Kuru, wahai Bhārata, ketika engkau tinggal di rimba, kemuliaan kaum Vṛṣṇi—yang sangat dimuliakan—datang ke Dvārakā dan mulai merosot.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most celebrated and honored prosperity of a powerful clan is not permanent; when conditions shift—often under the pressure of time and consequences—glory can quickly turn into decline, urging humility and vigilance in dharma.
The narrator marks a transition: while the addressed Bhārata figure is living in the forest, the narrative reports that the Vṛṣṇis’ famed prosperity, centered in Dvārakā, reaches a turning point and begins to collapse—foreshadowing the later destruction of the Yādava/Vṛṣṇi community.