Shloka 11
स्त्रीपर्व — गान्धारीविलापः
Strī Parva — Gāndhārī’s Lament over the Fallen
चित्रसेनं हतं भूमौ शयानं मधुसूदन । धार्तराष्ट्रमिमं पश्य प्रतिमानं धनुष्मताम्,मधुसूदन! देखो, जो धनुर्धरोंका आदर्श था, वही यह धृतराष्ट्रका पुत्र चित्रसेन मारा जाकर पृथ्वीपर पड़ा हुआ है
Citrasenaṁ hataṁ bhūmau śayānaṁ Madhusūdana | Dhārtarāṣṭram imaṁ paśya pratimānaṁ dhanuṣmatām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Madhusūdana, behold Citrasena—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son—slain and lying upon the earth. Look upon him who once stood as a model among archers. Thus does the war lay low even those celebrated for prowess, turning exemplars into warnings about the fragility of pride and the ruin that follows adharma.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most renowned exemplars of martial skill can be brought low by the consequences of a war rooted in adharma; the verse underscores the impermanence of worldly glory and the ethical warning embedded in post-war lamentation.
Vaiśampāyana points out to Kṛṣṇa (Madhusūdana) the body of Citrasena, a son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, lying slain on the battlefield, emphasizing that one once regarded as a model among archers has fallen.