Shloka 16
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Bereavement and the Averted Assault on Bhīma (Āyasī Pratimā Episode)
“यशस्विनि! अपने पुत्रोंके मारे जानेका समाचार सुनकर सदा सावधान रहनेवाले पुरुषप्रवर पाण्डव हमारा चरणचिह्न देखते हुए शीघ्र ही हमलोगोंका पीछा करेंगे ।। तेषां तु कदनं कृत्वा संस्थातुं नोत्सहामहे | अनुजानीहि नो राज्ञि मा च शोके मन: कृथा:
yśasvini! apne putrāṇāṁ māre jāne kā samācāra sunkar sadā sāvadhāna rahanevāle puruṣa-pravara pāṇḍava hamārā caraṇa-cihna dekhte hue śīghra hī hamlogoṁ kā pīchā kareṅge || teṣāṁ tu kadanaṁ kṛtvā saṁsthātuṁ notsahāmahe | anujānīhi no rājñi mā ca śoke manaḥ kṛthāḥ ||
‘O illustrious queen! On hearing the news that your sons have been slain, the foremost of men—the ever-vigilant Pāṇḍavas—will quickly track us by our footprints and pursue us. Having wrought such devastation upon them, we do not have the courage to remain here. Grant us leave, O queen, and do not let your mind be consumed by grief.’
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and psychological consequences of violence: wrongdoing breeds fear of rightful retaliation, while grief must be faced without letting the mind collapse into despair. It implicitly contrasts reckless destruction with the need for steadiness and ethical accountability.
The speaker warns an addressed queen that the vigilant Pāṇḍavas, upon learning of her sons’ deaths, will quickly pursue the speakers by following their footprints. Because they have caused great devastation, they lack the courage to remain and ask the queen for permission to depart, urging her not to sink into grief.