Shloka 1
Adhyaya 11 — Draupadī’s Grief, Demand for Justice, and Bhīma’s Departure
अपन क्रा बछ। अ--काजज एकादशोब< ध्याय: युधिष्ठिरका शोकमें व्याकुल होना, द्रौपदीका विलाप तथा द्रोणकुमारके वधके लिये आग्रह, भीमसेनका अश्र॒त्थामाको मारनेके लिये प्रस्थान वैशम्पायन उवाच स दृष्टवा निहतान् संख्ये पुत्रान् पौत्रान् सखींस्तथा । महादुःखपरीतात्मा बभूव जनमेजय,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! अपने पुत्रों, पौत्रों और मित्रोंको युद्धमें मारा गया देख राजा युधिष्ठिरका हृदय महान् दुःखसे संतप्त हो उठा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | sa dṛṣṭvā nihatān saṅkhye putrān pautrān sakhīṁs tathā | mahāduḥkhaparītātmā babhūva janamejaya ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O Janamejaya, when King Yudhiṣṭhira saw his sons, grandsons, and companions lying slain on the battlefield, his inner being was overwhelmed and consumed by profound grief. The verse frames the moral aftermath of war: even the righteous victor is not spared the crushing weight of loss.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and emotional cost of war: even a dharmic king like Yudhiṣṭhira, despite being on the side of righteousness, is engulfed by sorrow when confronted with the deaths of his own kin and companions. Victory does not erase responsibility, loss, or the burden of violence.
Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that Yudhiṣṭhira, seeing the slain—his sons, grandsons, and friends—on the battlefield, becomes overwhelmed with intense grief. This sets the tone for the ensuing lamentation and the moral reckoning that follows the night of slaughter associated with the Sauptika events.