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 ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai Raja, setelah berundur dari tempat itu, semua pahlawan kereta perang agung itu—dalam kegelisahan yang mendalam—berpamitan sesama mereka, lalu pada ketika itu berangkat melalui tiga jalan yang berlainan.”
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.