Shloka 173
प्रेत्य चेह च सम्प्राप्तास्त्रायन्ते महतो भयात् । “कुरुनन्दन! पांचालोंका वध करके ही मैं शान्ति पा सकूँगा। पुरुषसिंह! मनुष्य इसीलिये पुत्रोंकी इच्छा करते हैं कि वे प्राप्त होनेपर इहलोक और परलोकमें भी महान् भयसे रक्षा करेंगे
pretya ceha ca samprāptās trāyante mahato bhayāt |
サンジャヤは言った。「クル族の御子よ、パンチャーラを討ち滅ぼしてこそ、私は安らぎを得よう。人中の獅子よ、人が息子を望むのは、授かり育ったのち、この世でも来世でも大いなる恐れから守ってくれると信じるからである。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse expresses a traditional social-ethical idea: sons are desired because they are expected to provide protection and continuity, offering security against “great fear” both in worldly life and in the post-mortem realm. In the war context, this ideal is juxtaposed with violent resolve, highlighting the tension between familial duty/protection and the destructive demands of vengeance and battle.
Sañjaya reports a statement framed around the belief that offspring, once attained, protect one in both worlds. Around this line, the narrative voice also conveys a warrior’s determination to find “peace” only after killing the Pāñcālas, reflecting the escalating brutality and justificatory rhetoric within the Drona Parva’s battlefield events.