Shloka 4
स्त्रीपर्व १: धृतराष्ट्रशोकः संजयाश्वासनं च
Strī Parva 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Saṃjaya’s Consolation
वैशम्पायन उवाच हते पुत्रशते दीनं छिन्नशाखमिव द्रुमम् । पुत्रशोकाभिसंतप्तं धृतराष्ट्र महीपतिम्,वैशम्पायनजी बोले--राजन्! अपने सौ पुत्रोंके मारे जानेपर राजा धृतराष्ट्रकी दशा वैसी ही दयनीय हो गयी, जैसे समस्त शाखाओंके कट जानेपर वृक्षकी हो जाती है। वे पुत्रोंके शोकसे संतप्त हो उठे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | hate putraśate dīnaṃ chinnaśākham iva drumam | putraśokābhisaṃtaptaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ mahīpatim |
Vaiśampāyana said: When his hundred sons had been slain, King Dhṛtarāṣṭra became utterly wretched—like a tree whose branches have been cut away. Scorched by grief for his sons, the lord of the earth was overwhelmed by sorrow.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the devastating moral and human aftermath of war: even a king’s power cannot shield him from the consequences of ruinous choices and the impermanence of worldly supports. Grief is portrayed as a natural result when one’s lineage and hopes are destroyed.
After the Kurukṣetra war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra learns of the death of his hundred sons. Vaiśampāyana describes the king’s condition through a simile: he is like a tree whose branches have been cut off, consumed by sorrow.