Shloka 20
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
ततः संज्ञां पुनर्लब्ध्वा स राजा बभ्रुवाहन: । मातरं तामथालोक्य रणभूमावथाब्रवीत्,थोड़ी ही देरमें राजा बभ्रुवाहनको पुनः चेत हुआ। वह अपनी माताको रणभूमिमें बैठी देख इस प्रकार विलाप करने लगा--
tataḥ saṃjñāṃ punar labdhvā sa rājā babhruvāhanaḥ | mātaraṃ tām athālokya raṇabhūmāv athābravīt ||
Then King Babhruvāhana, regaining consciousness, saw his mother seated on the battlefield. Beholding her there, he began to speak—lamenting in grief—amid the scene of war. The moment frames the ethical shock of battle: when kinship and duty collide, the warrior’s heart turns from victory to remorse and responsibility.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral awakening that can follow violence: when consciousness returns, so does ethical clarity. Seeing one’s mother amid the battlefield intensifies the recognition that dharma is not merely victory in combat but accountability to kinship, compassion, and the consequences of one’s actions.
Babhruvāhana, after being unconscious, comes to his senses. He notices his mother present on the battlefield and begins to speak in lamentation, setting up an emotionally charged exchange where familial bonds and the aftermath of battle take center stage.