Shloka 2
Janmaveśma-praveśa and Uttarā’s Śaraṇāgati
Entry into the Birth-Chamber and Uttarā’s Appeal
पुण्डरीकाक्ष पश्य त्वं पौत्रं पार्थस्य धीमतः । परिक्षीणेषु कुरुषु परिक्षीणं गतायुषम्
Puṇḍarīkākṣa paśya tvaṃ pautraṃ Pārthasya dhīmataḥ | Parikṣīṇeṣu Kuruṣu parikṣīṇaṃ gatāyuṣam ||
“Ó tu, de olhos de lótus, contempla este neto do sábio Pārtha (Arjuna). Quando os Kurus se esgotaram e foram destruídos, ele nasceu; e agora também jaz exausto, com a porção de vida que lhe cabia ceifada.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impermanence of worldly power and lineage after catastrophic war: even the long-awaited heir born after the clan’s destruction can be struck down. It invites ethical reflection on how adharma and violence consume not only enemies but one’s own future.
Vaiśampāyana points out to the ‘lotus-eyed’ figure (addressed reverentially) the pitiable condition of Arjuna’s grandson—born only after the Kurus were wiped out, and now himself lying ‘life-spent’—setting the scene for concern over the survival of the Kuru line.