Shloka 14
मौसलपर्व — अध्याय ८
Arjuna’s evacuation of Dvārakā, Vasudeva’s rites, and the caravan’s crisis
नभस: पतन चैव शैत्यमग्नेस्तथैव च । अश्रद्धेयमहं मन्ये विनाशं शार्ईधन्वचन:,उन अमित तेजस्वी वीरोंके विनाशका दुःख मुझसे किसी तरह सहा नहीं जाता। मैं बार-बार उस दुःखसे व्यथित हो जाता हूँ। यशस्वी श्रीकृष्ण और यदुवंशियोंके परलोक- गमनकी बात सोचकर तो मुझे ऐसा जान पड़ता है, मानो समुद्र सूख गया, पर्वत हिलने लगे, आकाश फट पड़ा और अग्निके स्वभावमें शीतलता आ गयी। शार्ज्रधनुष धारण करनेवाले श्रीकृष्ण भी मृत्युके अधीन हुए होंगे--यह बात विश्वासके योग्य नहीं है। मैं इसे नहीं मानता
nabhasaḥ patanaṃ caiva śaityam agnes tathaiva ca | aśraddheyam ahaṃ manye vināśaṃ śārṅgadhanvanaḥ ||
Arjuna disse: “Que o céu desabe e que o fogo se torne frio—tais impossibilidades me parecem mais críveis do que este relato de destruição. Não posso aceitar a ruína de Śārṅgadhanvan (Śrī Kṛṣṇa, portador do arco Śārṅga). Só de pensar que o glorioso Kṛṣṇa e os Yādava partiram para o outro mundo, sou tomado por luto e incredulidade—como se o oceano tivesse secado, as montanhas tremessem, o firmamento se rasgasse e a própria natureza do fogo se tornasse gélida.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human struggle to accept impermanence and catastrophic change, even when it concerns the most revered figures. Arjuna’s disbelief underscores how devotion and attachment can make reality feel ‘impossible,’ pointing to the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that all compounded things—even dynasties and worldly manifestations of greatness—are subject to dissolution.
In the Mausala Parva’s aftermath of the Yādavas’ destruction and Kṛṣṇa’s departure, Arjuna reacts with shock. He compares the news to cosmic impossibilities—sky falling, fire turning cold—declaring that he cannot credit the ‘vināśa’ of Śārṅgadhanvan (Kṛṣṇa).