Shloka 873
प्रविष्टो हास्तिनपुरं बाष्पकण्ठो5श्रुलोचन: । सूर्यके अस्त होते-होते नेत्रोंसे आँसू बहाते हुए उसने उन सबके साथ हस्तिनापुरमें प्रवेश किया। उस समय उसका गला भर आया था
sañjaya uvāca | praviṣṭo hāstinapuraṃ bāṣpakaṇṭho 'śrulocanaḥ | sūrye 'staṃ hote-hote netrābhyām aśrūṇi muñcan sa taiḥ sarvaiḥ saha hāstinapuraṃ praviśat | tadā tasya kaṇṭhaḥ pūrṇa ivābhavat |
Sañjaya said: With his throat choked by sobs and his eyes wet with tears, he entered Hāstinapura in the company of the others. As the sun was setting, tears kept streaming from his eyes; at that moment his voice failed him, overwhelmed by grief and the moral weight of what had come to pass.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical aftermath of violence: even the messenger-witness is shaken. It underscores that adharma and war do not end with victory or defeat; they culminate in grief, accountability, and the heavy emotional cost borne by individuals and the polity.
Sañjaya, overcome with sorrow, enters the Kuru capital Hāstinapura with others as evening falls. His tears and choked voice signal the tragic news and the devastated state of the kingdom after the catastrophic events of the war.