Shloka 48
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
अहो पुत्रवियोगेन मृतशून्योपसेवनात् । क्रोशतां सुभृशं दु:खं विवत्सानां गवामिव
aho putraviyogena mṛtaśūnyopasevanāt | krośatāṃ subhṛśaṃ duḥkhaṃ vivatsānāṃ gavām iva ||
Jambuka disse: “Ai de nós! Pela separação de seus filhotes e por buscarem um lugar vazio de vida (tornado deserto pela morte), sua dor se faz um lamento alto e lancinante—como vacas privadas de seus bezerros, bradando em aflição.”
जम्बुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the natural intensity of grief caused by separation from one’s offspring and the desolation that follows death, inviting compassion and reflection on attachment and the human (and animal) experience of loss.
Jambuka is describing the sound and force of lamentation arising from bereavement, comparing mourners’ cries to cows wailing when separated from their calves, to convey the depth of sorrow in a vivid, relatable image.