Shloka 19
Dvārakā’s Distress and the Saubha Engagement (द्वारकाव्यग्रता तथा सौभयुद्धम्)
साम्बप्रभृतयश्चैवेत्यहमासं सुदुर्मना: । एतेषु हि नरव्याप्र जीवत्सु न कथंचन,क्या शत्रुहन्ता महाबली बलरामजी जीवित हैं? क्या सात्यकि, रुक्मिणीनन्दन प्रद्युम्न, महाबली चारुदेष्ण तथा साम्ब आदि जीवन धारण करते हैं? इन बातोंका विचार करते- करते मेरा मन बहुत उदास हो गया। नरश्रेष्ठ! इन वीरोंके जीते-जी साक्षात् इन्द्र भी मेरे पिता वसुदेवजीको किसी प्रकार मार नहीं सकते थे। अवश्य ही शूरनन्दन वसुदेवजी मारे गये और यह भी स्पष्ट है कि बलरामजी आदि सभी प्रमुख वीर प्राणत्याग कर चुके हैं--यह मेरा निश्चित विचार हो गया। महाराज! इस प्रकार सबके विनाशका बारंबार चिन्तन करके भी मैं व्याकुल न होकर राजा शाल्वसे पुन: युद्ध करने लगा
sāmbaprabhṛtayaś caivety aham āsaṃ sudurmanāḥ | eteṣu hi naravyāghra jīvatsu na kathaṃcana, kṣā śatruhantā mahābalī balarāmajī jīvitaḥ? kṣā sātyaki, rukmiṇīnandana pradyumna, mahābalī cārudeṣṇa tathā sāmba ādi jīvana dhārayante? in bātoṃ kā vicāra karate-karate merā mana bahut udāsa ho gayā | naraśreṣṭha! in vīroṃ ke jīte-jī sākṣāt indra bhī mere pitā vasudevajī ko kisī prakāra mār nahīṃ sakate the | avaśya hī śūranandana vasudevajī māre gaye aur yah bhī spaṣṭ hai ki balarāmajī ādi sabhī pramukha vīra prāṇatyāga kar chuke haiṃ—yah merā niścita vicāra ho gayā | mahārāja! is prakāra sabake vināśa kā bārambār cintana karake bhī maiṃ vyākula na hokar rājā śālv se punaḥ yuddha karane lagā
Vāyu said: “Thinking of Sāmba and the others, my heart sank into deep dejection. For, O tiger among men, so long as those heroes were alive, it could never be that my father Vasudeva would be slain—indeed, not even Indra himself could have killed him while they yet lived. I began to ask within myself: Is the mighty enemy-slayer Balarāma still alive? Do Sātyaki, Pradyumna the son of Rukmiṇī, the powerful Cārudeṣṇa, and Sāmba and the rest still draw breath? As these thoughts turned again and again in my mind, I grew exceedingly sorrowful. Therefore I concluded with certainty: Vasudeva, the son of Śūra, has been killed; and it is plain that Balarāma and the other foremost warriors have also laid down their lives. Yet, even while repeatedly contemplating this ruin of all, I did not collapse into helpless agitation; rather, O king, I returned once more to battle against King Śālva.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights steadfastness amid catastrophic loss: even when convinced that revered protectors and kin have fallen, one should not surrender to paralyzing despair but act with resolve in accordance with one’s duty.
Vāyu reflects anxiously on whether key Yādava heroes (Balarāma, Sātyaki, Pradyumna, Cārudeṣṇa, Sāmba, etc.) are still alive. Concluding that Vasudeva and the foremost warriors have died, he nevertheless regains composure and returns to fight King Śālva.