Shloka 19
अभिमन्युविलापः (Abhimanyu-vilāpa) — Uttarā’s lament, observed and framed by Gandhārī
रथर्षभाणां सर्वेषां कथमासीत् तदा मन: । बालं त्वां परिवार्यक॑ मम दुःखाय जघ्नुषाम्,“आप बालक थे और अकेले युद्ध कर रहे थे तो भी मुझे दुःख देनेके लिये जिन लोगोंने मिलकर आपको मारा था, उन समस्त श्रेष्ठ महारथियोंके मनकी उस समय क्या दशा हुई थी?
ratharṣabhāṇāṁ sarveṣāṁ katham āsīt tadā manaḥ | bālaṁ tvāṁ parivārya kaṁ mama duḥkhāya jaghnuṣām ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Apakah keadaan hati, pada saat itu, bagi semua maharathi terunggul—yang demi menyakiti aku, mengepungmu walaupun engkau hanya seorang anak, lalu menewaskanmu?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral inquiry into wartime conduct: even celebrated warriors are judged by their inner intention and conscience when they commit an act seen as dishonorable—killing a lone, youthful fighter by surrounding him.
Vaiśampāyana reports a question about the Kurukṣetra war episode where leading chariot-warriors collectively encircled and killed a young combatant (understood as Abhimanyu). The speaker asks what those warriors were thinking and feeling at that moment.