Shloka 13
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
को नु मामुत्थितं वीर तात तातेति वक्ष्यति । महाराजेति सततं लोकनाथेति चासकृत्,वीर! अब मेरे उठनेपर मुझे सदा तात, महाराज और लोकनाथ आदि बारंबार कहकर कौन पुकारेगा?
ko nu mām utthitaṃ vīra tāta tāta iti vakṣyati | mahārājeti satataṃ lokanātheti cāsakṛt ||
“O hero, when I rise, who will now call out to me again and again—‘Father, father,’ and continually address me as ‘Great King’ and ‘Lord of the people’?”
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human cost of war and the fragility of worldly honor: titles like “Great King” and “Lord of the people” matter less than the living bonds of affection—especially the intimate call of “father.” It evokes dharmic reflection on leadership, responsibility, and the sorrow that follows violence.
A speaker, addressing a “hero,” laments that after a devastating loss, no one will remain to greet him with affectionate and royal forms of address—“father,” “great king,” “protector of the people.” The line conveys bereavement and the emptiness that follows the fall of loved ones and dependents in the war.