Shloka 20
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Bereavement and the Averted Assault on Bhīma (Āyasī Pratimā Episode)
अपक्रम्य तु ते राजन् सर्व एव महारथा: । आमन्त्र्यान्योन्यमुद्धिग्नास्त्रिधा ते प्रययुस्तदा,राजन! वहाँसे हटकर वे सभी महारथी उद्विग्न हो एक-दूसरेसे विदा ले तीन मार्गोंपर चल दिये
apakramya tu te rājan sarva eva mahārathāḥ | āmantyānyonyam uddhignās tridhā te prayayus tadā ||
വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ രാജാവേ, അവിടെ നിന്ന് പിന്മാറി, ആ മഹാരഥന്മാർ എല്ലാവരും വ്യാകുലരായി പരസ്പരം വിടപറഞ്ഞ്, അന്നേരം മൂന്നു വഴികളായി പുറപ്പെട്ടു.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the psychological and moral weight of catastrophic events: even the mightiest warriors, after witnessing the consequences of conflict, become distressed and disperse—suggesting the fragility of worldly power and the inevitability of separation after adharma-driven destruction.
After leaving the scene, the assembled great warriors, troubled and unsettled, formally bid each other farewell and then depart, splitting into three different directions—marking a transition in the Strī Parva’s post-war movement and dispersal.