Shloka 13

Devanagari script

वार्ष्णेय मधुहन्‌ वीर शिरसा त्वां प्रसादये । द्रोणपुत्रास्त्रनिर्दग्धं जीवयैनं॑ ममात्मजम्‌,*वृष्णिनन्दन! वीर मधुसूदन! मैं आपके चरणोंमें मस्तक रखकर आपका कृपाप्रसाद प्राप्त करना चाहती हूँ। द्रोणपुत्र अश्वत्थामाके अस्त्रसे दग्ध हुए मेरे इस पुत्रको जीवित कर दीजिये

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

vārṣṇeya madhuhan vīra śirasā tvāṁ prasādaye |

droṇaputrāstra-nirdagdhaṁ jīvayainaṁ mamātmajam ||

Translation

“ವಾರ್ಷ್ಣೇಯ, ಮಧುಹನ್, ವೀರನೇ! ಶಿರಸಾ ನಮನ ಮಾಡಿ ನಿನ್ನ ಕೃಪೆಯನ್ನು ಬೇಡುತ್ತೇನೆ. ದ್ರೋಣಪುತ್ರನ ಅಸ್ತ್ರದಿಂದ ದಗ್ಧವಾದ ನನ್ನ ಈ ಮಗನನ್ನು ಜೀವಂತಗೊಳಿಸು.”

Word by Word

वार्ष्णेयO descendant of Vृष्णि

मधुहन्O slayer of Madhu

वीरO hero

शिरसाwith (my) head

त्वाम्you

प्रसादयेI propitiate / I seek to please

द्रोणपुत्रास्त्रनिर्दग्धम्burnt by the weapon of Droṇa’s son

जीवयrevive (you revive)

एनम्this (one), him

ममof me / my

आत्मजम्son

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Kṛṣṇa (Vārṣṇeya, Madhuhan)

Aśvatthāman (Droṇaputra)

Astra (weapon/missile)

the child/son (Parīkṣit, implied by context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical turn from vengeance to protection: in the aftermath of war, the highest dharma is compassion and preservation of life and lineage. It also shows humility and surrender—seeking remedy through righteous, divine agency rather than further violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

A grieving mother (contextually Uttarā) appeals to Kṛṣṇa, addressing him by clan and heroic epithets, and begs him to revive her son who has been burned by Aśvatthāman’s weapon. The plea frames Kṛṣṇa as the refuge capable of countering the catastrophic effects of astras.