Shloka 24
Praise of Pilgrimage (Tīrtha) and Prelude to the Greatness of Prayāga
धृतराष्ट्रं कथं पृच्छे यस्य पुत्रशतं हतम् । व्यासं कथमहं पृच्छे यस्य गोत्रक्षयः कृतः
dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ kathaṃ pṛcche yasya putraśataṃ hatam | vyāsaṃ kathamahaṃ pṛcche yasya gotrakṣayaḥ kṛtaḥ
Bagaimanakah aku hendak menyoal Dhṛtarāṣṭra, yang seratus puteranya telah terbunuh? Bagaimanakah aku hendak menyoal Vyāsa, yang olehnya kemusnahan keturunan ini telah terjadi?
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (contextual speaker not stated)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कथमहं = कथम् + अहम्; तृप्तास्त्वयि = तृप्ताः + त्वयि; पूजितोऽहं = पूजितः + अहम्; ततस्तमूचे = ततः + तम् + ऊचे; वैक्लव्यमापन्नो = वैक्लव्यम् + आपन्नः; सिंहासन उपस्थाप्य (पाठे पृथक्) = सिंहासनम् + उपस्थाप्य; पादशौचार्चनादिभिः = पादशौच + अर्चन + आदिभिः
FAQs
Because Dhṛtarāṣṭra is portrayed as overwhelmed by grief—his hundred sons have been killed—making questioning him feel insensitive or inappropriate.
It refers to the catastrophic collapse of a dynasty/lineage associated with the Mahābhārata war; the verse frames Vyāsa as connected to events that culminated in that ruin.
It highlights sensitivity in speech: one should consider another’s suffering and the gravity of circumstances before pressing questions, especially amid bereavement and communal collapse.