Shloka 19

Devanagari script

यदैषामम्ब पितरौ जातकामावुभावपि । संजातधनरत्नेषु तदैव निहता नृपा:,माँ! इन राजाओंके माता-पिता जब इनके द्वारा उपार्जित धन और रत्न आदिके उपभोगकी आशा करने लगे, तभी ये मारे गये

Transliteration

yad eṣām amba pitarau jātakāmāv ubhāv api | sañjātadhana-ratneṣu tadaiva nihatā nṛpāḥ ||

Translation

Ibu, ketika ayah dan ibu dari raja-raja ini—keduanya—mulai berharap menikmati harta dan permata yang diperoleh putra-putra mereka, pada saat itulah para raja itu terbunuh.

Word by Word

यदाwhen

एषाम्of these (kings)

अम्बO mother!

पितरौthe two parents (father and mother)

जातकामौhaving desire arisen (eager)

उभौboth

अपिalso/indeed

संजातधनरत्नेषुin (their) acquired wealth and jewels

तदाthen

एवjust/indeed

निहताःwere slain

नृपाःkings

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

amba (mother, addressed figure)

nṛpāḥ (kings)

pitarau (parents)

dhana (wealth)

ratna (jewels)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the fragility of worldly prosperity: even when wealth is finally acquired and parents begin to expect enjoyment of it, death can intervene immediately. Ethically, it cautions against overreliance on material security and urges steadiness in dharma amid the unpredictability of time.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira addresses his mother, reflecting on the tragic fate of kings: just as their parents started to anticipate benefiting from the sons’ newly gained wealth and jewels, those kings were killed—highlighting the sudden reversals brought by conflict and destiny.