Shloka 53

Devanagari script

एवमेष क्षयो वृत्त: सुमहाललोमहर्षण: । तव दुर्मन्त्रिते राजन्‌ किमर्थमनुशोचसि,राजन! इस प्रकार आपकी ही कुमन्त्रणाके फलस्वरूप यह रोमांचकारी महान्‌ जनसंहार हुआ है। अब आप किसलिये बारंबार शोक करते हैं?

Transliteration

evam eṣa kṣayo vṛttaḥ sumahāl lomaharṣaṇaḥ | tava durmantrite rājan kim artham anuśocasi rājan ||

Translation

संजय म्हणाला—राजन्! अशा प्रकारे हा अत्यंत महान् व अंगावर काटा आणणारा संहार घडला आहे; तो तुझ्याच कुमंत्रणेचा परिणाम आहे. मग तू वारंवार कशासाठी शोक करीत आहेस?

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this manner

एषःthis (one/this event)

क्षयःdestruction, slaughter

वृत्तःoccurred, happened

सुमहान्very great

लोमहर्षणःhair-raising, causing horripilation

तवof you, your

दुर्मन्त्रितेin (your) ill-counsel/ill-advice

राजन्O king

किम्what?

अर्थम्purpose, reason

अनुशोचसिyou grieve, lament

राजन्O king

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

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 stresses moral accountability: when calamity is the fruit of one’s own misguided counsel and choices, repeated lamentation is hollow unless it leads to recognition of fault and ethical correction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports the terrifying scale of slaughter and addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra directly, reminding him that the catastrophe stems from his own policy and partiality, and questioning his continual grief.