Shloka 11

धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा—व्यासोपदेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and Vyāsa’s Counsel

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट्रो3भवन्मूढ: स शोक॑ परमं गतः । अभूच्च तूष्णी राजासौ ध्यायमानो महीपते,'द्विजश्रेष्ठ] इसलिये आज ही मैं अपने प्राणोंका परित्याग कर दूँगा।” अपने ब्रह्मवेत्ता पिता महात्मा व्यासजीसे ऐसा कहकर राजा धृतराष्ट्र अत्यन्त शोकमें डूब गये और सुध-बुध खो बैठे। राजन! पुत्रोंका ही चिन्तन करते हुए वे बूढ़े नरेश वहाँ मौन होकर बैठे रह गये

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | dhṛtarāṣṭro 'bhavan mūḍhaḥ sa śokaṃ paramaṃ gataḥ | abhūc ca tūṣṇīṃ rājāsau dhyāyamāno mahīpate ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Dhṛtarāṣṭra became utterly bewildered, having fallen into the deepest grief. O king, absorbed in brooding, that aged monarch then sat in silence—his mind fixed on his sons, overwhelmed by sorrow and moral collapse in the wake of their destruction.

Word by Word

धृतराष्ट्रःDhṛtarāṣṭra

अभवत्became

मूढःbewildered, stupefied

सःhe

शोकम्grief

परमम्supreme, extreme

गतःgone to, fallen into

अभूत्became, was

चand

तूष्णीम्silently

राजाthe king

असौthat (he)

ध्यायमानःmeditating, thinking

महीपतेO lord of the earth (king)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

mahīpati (addressed king, i.e., Janamejaya in the frame narrative)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Unchecked attachment and partiality culminate in profound suffering: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s silence and bewilderment portray the ethical consequence of a life unable to restrain adharma for the sake of one’s own sons.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing the catastrophic outcome for his sons, Dhṛtarāṣṭra is overwhelmed by extreme grief, becomes mentally stunned, and sits speechless, lost in brooding.