Mahabharata 7.1.2 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 1, Shloka 2
द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय १) — भीष्मनिधनानन्तरं धृतराष्ट्रस्य शोकः, सेनायाः स्थितिः, कर्णस्मरणं च
Droṇa Parva, Chapter 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief after Bhīṣma’s fall and the army’s reorientation toward Karṇa
धृतराष्ट्रस्ततो राजा शोकव्याकुललोचन: । किमचेष्टत विप्रर्षे हते पितरि वीर्यवान्
dhṛtarāṣṭras tato rājā śokavyākulalocanaḥ | kim aceṣṭata viprarṣe hate pitari vīryavān ||
ಜನಮೇಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಓ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮರ್ಷಿಯೇ! ಆಗ ಶೋಕದಿಂದ ವ್ಯಾಕುಲವಾದ ಕಣ್ಣುಗಳಿರುವ ರಾಜ ಧೃತರಾಷ್ಟ್ರನು; ಪಿತೃತುಲ್ಯನಾದ ಹಿರಿಯ ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹತನಾದಾಗ ಆ ವೀರ್ಯವಂತನು ಏನು ಮಾಡಿದನು?
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical and psychological weight of war: even a king must confront grief and responsibility when revered elders fall. It invites reflection on how leaders respond—through restraint, counsel, or further escalation—when dharma is strained by loss.
Janamejaya asks the reciting sage what Dhṛtarāṣṭra did after hearing of the death of his revered elder (Bhīṣma). The question sets up the next portion of Droṇa Parva by turning attention to Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s reaction and subsequent decisions.
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