Shloka 8
धृतराष्ट्रस्य उपालम्भः तथा पाण्डव-समाश्वासनम् | Dhṛtarāṣṭra Reproved and the Pāṇḍavas Consoled
घातयित्वा कथं द्रोणं भीष्मं चापि पितामहम् | मनस्ते5भून्महाबाहो हत्वा चापि जयद्रथम्,“महाबाहो! द्रोणाचार्य, पितामह भीष्म और जयद्रथका भी वध करके आपके मनकी कैसी अवस्था हुई?
ghātayitvā kathaṁ droṇaṁ bhīṣmaṁ cāpi pitāmaham | manas te 'bhūn mahābāho hatvā cāpi jayadratham ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai yang berlengan perkasa, setelah engkau menyebabkan Droṇa dan juga Bhīṣma—sang datuk agung—terbunuh, dan setelah engkau membunuh Jayadratha pula, apakah keadaan fikiranmu ketika itu?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical and psychological aftermath of righteous war: even when killings occur under the pressure of dharma and necessity, the mind may be shaken by grief, guilt, and the weight of having brought down revered elders and formidable foes.
Vaiśampāyana asks a warrior addressed as “Mahābāhu” about his mental state after the deaths of Droṇa, Bhīṣma (the grandsire), and Jayadratha—highlighting the emotional reckoning that follows decisive but tragic victories in the Kurukṣetra war.