Shloka 20
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
आसीत् परमको हर्षस्तावकानां विशाम्पते । इतरेषां तु वीराणां नेत्रेभ्य: प्रापतज्जलम्,प्रजानाथ! आपके पुत्रोंको तो बड़ा हर्ष हुआ; परंतु पाण्डववीरोंके नेत्रोंसे आँसू बहने लगा
āsīt paramako harṣas tāvakānāṃ viśāmpate | itareṣāṃ tu vīrāṇāṃ netrebhyaḥ prāpatad jalam, prajānātha |
Sañjaya said: O lord of the people, O ruler of men, an exceedingly great joy arose among your sons’ party; but from the eyes of the other heroes—the Pāṇḍava warriors—tears began to fall. The verse underscores how the same turn of war can kindle triumph in one camp and grief in the other, revealing the moral weight and human cost that accompany victory and loss.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and emotional asymmetry of war: one side’s elation is inseparable from the other side’s suffering. It invites reflection on dharma by showing that battlefield ‘success’ carries a human cost that cannot be ethically ignored.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava camp is filled with intense joy at a favorable development, while the opposing Pāṇḍava heroes are overwhelmed with sorrow, tears falling from their eyes.