Shloka 13
द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय १) — भीष्मनिधनानन्तरं धृतराष्ट्रस्य शोकः, सेनायाः स्थितिः, कर्णस्मरणं च
Droṇa Parva, Chapter 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief after Bhīṣma’s fall and the army’s reorientation toward Karṇa
देवव्रते तु निहते कुरूणामृषभे तदा । किमकार्षु्नुपतयस्तन्ममाचक्ष्व संजय
devavrate tu nihate kurūṇām ṛṣabhe tadā | kim akāruṣ nṛpatayas tan mamācakṣva sañjaya ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “When Devavrata—Bhīṣma, the bull among the Kurus—had been slain, what did the kings then do? Tell me that, Sañjaya.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral and political turning point: when a pillar of the Kuru order (Bhīṣma/Devavrata) falls, rulers must confront the consequences of their choices. It frames war not as mere combat but as a crisis of dharma and governance, demanding reflection on what actions follow the loss of a righteous elder.
Vaiśampāyana asks Sañjaya to recount what the assembled kings did after Devavrata (Bhīṣma), the foremost of the Kurus, was brought down. The question signals a shift to the next phase of events in the Drona Parva following Bhīṣma’s fall.