Shloka 5
Kṛṣṇa-vīrya-kathana
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s appraisal of Vāsudeva’s deeds
आसन प्राप्य राजा तु मूर्च्डयाभिपरिप्लुत: । निश्चेष्टोी>तिष्ठत तदा वीज्यमान: समन्तत:,सिंहासनपर पहुँचकर भी राजा धृतराष्ट्र मू्च्छसे पीड़ित हो निश्चेष्ट हो गये। उस समय सब ओरसे उनके ऊपर व्यजन डुलाया जा रहा था
āsanaṃ prāpya rājā tu mūrcchayābhipariplutaḥ | niśceṣṭo ’tiṣṭhat tadā vījyamānaḥ samantataḥ ||
Setelah sampai ke singgahsananya, Raja Dhṛtarāṣṭra—ditenggelami pengsan yang melanda—terbaring kaku tanpa bergerak. Pada saat itu para dayang dan pengiring mengipas baginda dari segenap arah, menenangkan baginda yang terpukul oleh khabar yang didengarnya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the violence of war reverberates beyond the battlefield: even a king in his palace is physically undone by grief and shock. It implicitly points to the ethical weight of attachment and partiality in leadership, where inner collapse mirrors the larger disorder unleashed by adharma.
After hearing distressing news, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reaches his seat but is overcome by a fainting fit and becomes motionless. Attendants fan him from all sides as he remains incapacitated.