Shloka 88
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
ततस्तं पुत्रशोकेन भूशं पीडितमानसम् | राजीवलोचनं क्रुद्धं राजा वचनमत्रवीत्,तदनन्तर मन-ही-मन पुत्रशोकसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित हुए क्रोधभरे कमलनयन अर्जुनसे राजा युधिष्ठिरने इस प्रकार कहा--
tatas taṁ putraśokena bhṛśaṁ pīḍitamānasam | rājīvalocanaṁ kruddhaṁ rājā vacanam abravīt ||
Sañjaya said: Then King Yudhiṣṭhira addressed Arjuna—lotus-eyed and inflamed with anger—whose mind was grievously tormented by sorrow for his son. The moment frames how personal grief, even in a righteous cause, can intensify wrath and press upon one’s discernment, prompting counsel from a dharma-minded king.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological pivot: intense personal grief (putraśoka) can inflame anger and cloud judgment even in a dharmic struggle, and therefore calls for timely counsel from a leader committed to restraint and right conduct.
Sañjaya narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira, seeing Arjuna overwhelmed by sorrow for his son and burning with anger, begins to speak to him—setting up an admonition or guidance meant to steady Arjuna’s mind amid the pressures of battlefield loss.