Shloka 35
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
शान्तनोश्रैव पुत्रेण प्राज्ञेन विदुरेण च । तदैवोक्तास्मि मा स्नेहं कुरुष्वात्मसुतेष्विति,मुझे तो शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्म तथा ज्ञानी विदुरने उसी दिन कह दिया था “कि अब तुम अपने पुत्रोंपर स्नेह न करो”
śāntanoś caiva putreṇa prājñena vidureṇa ca | tadaivoktāsmi mā snehaṃ kuruṣvātmasuteṣv iti ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “That very day, Bhīṣma—the son of Śāntanu—and the wise Vidura told me plainly: ‘Do not cling with affection to your own sons.’” The line underscores a hard ethical counsel: when one’s children have chosen an unrighteous course, blind parental attachment must not override discernment and duty.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Parental affection must not become blind attachment; when one’s own children act against dharma, one should restrain partiality and choose discernment and duty over sentimental clinging.
The speaker recalls earlier counsel received from Bhīṣma and Vidura: they warned him not to maintain affectionate attachment toward his own sons—an admonition framed by the tragic outcomes of the Kuru conflict.