Shloka 353
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
अपश्यतस्तद्वदनं का शान्तिहदयस्य मे । “जिसकी नासिका, ललाटपटप्रान्त, नेत्र, भौंह तथा ओषछ्ठ--ये सभी परम सुन्दर थे, अभिमन्युके उस मुखको न देखनेपर मेरे हृदयमें क्या शान्ति होगी?
apasyatastad vadanaṃ kā śāntir hṛdayasya me |
Sanjaya said: “If I do not behold that face, what peace can there be for my heart?” In the midst of war’s cruelty, the speaker’s grief reveals how the loss of a noble youth shatters inner composure and turns the mind from martial triumph to moral sorrow.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid a righteous or strategic war, the human cost remains morally weighty: the heart finds no peace when confronted with the loss of a virtuous and beloved youth, reminding readers that dharma includes compassion and accountability for suffering.
Sanjaya expresses personal anguish, saying he cannot find peace if he does not see that face—contextually pointing to Abhimanyu, whose beauty and nobility are recalled as the aftermath of his tragic fate on the battlefield.