Shloka 15
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Bereavement and the Averted Assault on Bhīma (Āyasī Pratimā Episode)
ते हतानात्मजान श्रुत्वाप्रमत्ता: पुरुषर्षभा: । निरीक्षन्तः पद शूरा: क्षिप्रमेव यशस्विनि
te hatān ātmajān śrutvā pramattāḥ puruṣarṣabhāḥ | nirīkṣantaḥ padaśūrāḥ kṣipram eva yaśasvini ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。自らの子らが討たれたと聞くや、あの雄牛のごとき大丈夫たちは—力の驕りに先ほどまで不覚であったが—たちまち警醒した。四方を見回し、行動迅速なる英雄たちは即座に動き出した、ああ名高き御方よ。悲嘆と、戦の帰結がもたらす苛烈な道義の衝撃とに駆り立てられて。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral recoil that follows violence: prideful heedlessness collapses when one confronts the personal cost of war—especially the death of one’s own children—forcing sudden wakefulness and urgent action.
In the Strī Parva’s aftermath setting, news arrives that their sons have been killed. The leading men/warriors, previously inattentive or overconfident, become alert, look around, and move quickly—an immediate reaction shaped by shock and grief.