Shloka 30
आदि पर्व (अध्याय १२७) — रङ्गे कर्णस्य अवमानः, दुर्योधनस्य प्रतिपक्ष-निवृत्तिः, मैत्री-स्थापनम् / Ādi Parva (Chapter 127) — Karṇa’s Public Humiliation, Duryodhana’s Intervention, and the Formation of Alliance
कृतोदकांस्तानादाय पाण्डवाञ्छोककर्शितान् । सर्वा: प्रकृतयो राजन् शोचमाना न्यवारयन्,जलांजलिदान करके शोकसे दुर्बल हुए पाण्डवोंको साथ ले मन्त्री आदि सब लोग स्वयं भी दुःखी हो उन सबको समझा-बुझाकर शोक करनेसे रोकने लगे
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | kṛtodakāṁs tān ādāya pāṇḍavān śokakarśitān | sarvāḥ prakṛtayo rājan śocamānā nyavārayan ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Taking with them the Pāṇḍavas—who had completed the water-offering rites and were worn down by grief—the king’s ministers and other leading subjects, themselves sorrowful, sought to restrain them, consoling them and checking their lamentation. The scene underscores a social ethic: after the duties owed to the departed are performed, the community attempts to steady the bereaved and guide them back toward composure and responsibility.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic balance: one must fulfill rites for the departed (kṛtodaka), yet the living community has a duty to console the bereaved and prevent grief from overwhelming conduct and responsibility.
After completing the water-offering rites, the grief-stricken Pāṇḍavas are led along by the king’s ministers/subjects, who—though sorrowful themselves—try to comfort them and restrain their lamentation.