Shloka 16
Dvārakā’s Distress and the Saubha Engagement (द्वारकाव्यग्रता तथा सौभयुद्धम्)
सात्यकिं बलदेवं च प्रद्युम्नं च महारथम् । जगहें मनसा वीर तच्छुत्वा महदप्रियम्,वीर युधिष्ठिर! वह महान् अप्रिय वृत्तान्त सुनकर मैं मन-ही-मन सात्यकि, बलरामजी तथा महारथी प्रद्युम्नकी निन्दा करने लगा
sātyakiṃ baladevaṃ ca pradyumnaṃ ca mahāratham | jagarhe manasā vīra tac chrutvā mahad apriyam ||
Vāyu said: “O hero, having heard that deeply distressing report, I reproached—within my own mind—Sātyaki, Baladeva, and the great chariot-warrior Pradyumna.” The line conveys an ethical tension: even revered allies may become objects of inner censure when their conduct (or perceived failure) is thought to have enabled harm or injustice.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical self-restraint and moral evaluation: when painful outcomes occur, one may feel compelled to judge even respected figures, yet the censure here is internal (manasā), suggesting awareness of the gravity and potential impropriety of open condemnation without full knowledge.
Vāyudeva addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and says that upon hearing a highly unwelcome piece of news, he mentally reproached Sātyaki, Balarāma, and Pradyumna—implying that their actions or inaction were seen as connected to the distressing event being reported.