Shloka 20
Droṇotpattiḥ and Dhanurveda-Prāpti
Origin of Droṇa and Acquisition of Martial Science
अपुत्रा पुरुषव्याप्र विललापेति न: श्रुतम् । भद्रा परमदु:खार्ता तन्निबोध जनाधिप
aputrā puruṣavyāghra vilalāpeti naḥ śrutam | bhadrā paramaduḥkhārtā tannibodha janādhipa ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai harimau di antara manusia, kami telah mendengar bahawa Bhadrā tidak mempunyai putera, maka dia pun meratap. Dihimpit dukacita yang paling dalam, dia berseru—dengarlah, wahai raja.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the social and dharmic weight placed on progeny and lineage in epic culture, showing how childlessness can become a source of intense personal suffering; it also models attentive listening to a narrated tradition as a means of learning.
Vaiśampāyana reports to the king that Bhadrā had no son and, distressed by this, began to lament; he invites the listener to hear the account of her lamentation.