Shloka 20
Dvārakā’s Distress and the Saubha Engagement (द्वारकाव्यग्रता तथा सौभयुद्धम्)
शक्य: शूरसुतो हन्तुमपि वज्ञभूता स्वयम् । हतः शूरसुतो व्यक्त व्यक्ते चैते परासव:,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
śakyaḥ śūrasuto hantum api vajrabhūtā svayam | hataḥ śūrasuto vyaktaṃ vyakte caite parāsavaḥ ||
Vāyu said: “Even if he were himself become a thunderbolt, the son of Śūra could not be slain. Yet the son of Śūra has indeed been killed—this is plain; and it is equally plain that these heroes too have given up their lives. Reflecting again and again on these destructions, my mind grew heavy with grief. O best of men, while those mighty warriors—Balarāma and the rest—were alive, even Indra himself could not have found any means to kill my father Vasudeva. Therefore Vasudeva, the delight of the Śūras, must have been slain; and it is my settled conclusion that Balarāma and all the foremost heroes have also departed. Still, though I kept turning these thoughts over, I did not collapse in confusion; I returned once more to fight King Śālva.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts overwhelming grief with steadfast duty: even when convinced that the greatest protectors have fallen, one should not surrender to paralysis but act with resolve in accordance with one’s role (kṣatriya-dharma).
Vāyu voices a bleak inference: if Vasudeva has been killed, then even Balarāma and other leading Yādava heroes must also have died. Despite this repeated, sorrowful reflection, he regains composure and returns to battle against King Śālva.