Shloka 30
बभ्रुवाहन-धनंजययोः संग्रामः
Babhruvāhana and Dhanaṃjaya’s engagement at Maṇipūra
त्वामागतं च संश्रुत्य युद्धाय हयसारिणम् । पितुश्न मृत्युदुःखातोंडजहात् प्राणान् धनंजय,“निष्पाप अर्जुन! मेरे पुत्र सुरथने पहलेसे सुन रखा था कि अर्जुनके हाथसे ही मेरे पिताकी मृत्यु हुई है। इसके बाद जब उसके कानोंमें यह समाचार पड़ा है कि तुम घोड़ेके पीछे-पीछे युद्धके लिये यहाँतक आ पहुँचे हो तो वह पिताकी मृत्युके दुःखसे आतुर हो अपने प्राणोंका परित्याग कर बैठा है
tvām āgataṃ ca saṃśrutya yuddhāya hayasāriṇam | pituś ca mṛtyu-duḥkhārto jahāt prāṇān dhanaṃjaya ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「汝が来たと聞き——アシュヴァメーダの供犠の馬を追い、戦いのためにここへ至ったと聞き——父の死の苦しみに圧されて、彼は命を捨てたのだ、ダナンジャヤよ。汝の接近の報は、喪失の古傷を再び裂き、絶望が彼を呑み込んだ。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and psychological aftermath of warfare: even when actions are undertaken under royal duty (such as the Aśvamedha campaign), the memory of past killings can trigger renewed trauma and despair in others. It implicitly warns that violence leaves enduring social and emotional consequences beyond the battlefield.
During the Aśvamedhika Parva, Arjuna is moving with the sacrificial horse and encounters resistance. Here, Vaiśampāyana reports that someone, upon hearing Arjuna has arrived for battle in connection with the horse, becomes overwhelmed by grief over his father’s earlier death and gives up his life.