Shloka 19
स्त्रीपर्व १: धृतराष्ट्रशोकः संजयाश्वासनं च
Strī Parva 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Saṃjaya’s Consolation
परिणामश्न वयस: सर्वबन्धुक्षयश्व मे,अब मेरा बुढ़ापा आ गया, सारे बन्धु-बान्धवोंका विनाश हो गया और दैववश मेरे सुहृदों तथा मित्रोंका भी अन्त हो गया। भला, इस भूमण्डलमें अब मुझसे बढ़कर महान् दुःखी दूसरा कौन होगा?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | pariṇāmaś ca vayasas sarva-bandhu-kṣayaś ca me | daiva-vaśāc ca me suhṛdāṁ mitrāṇāṁ cāpy antas samupasthitaḥ | bhūmaṇḍale ’smin mayā duḥkhitataro ’nyaḥ kaḥ syāt ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra disse: “A mudança inevitável da idade caiu sobre mim; todos os meus parentes foram destruídos. E, pela força do destino, até os que me queriam bem e os meus amigos chegaram ao fim. Dize-me: em toda esta terra, quem poderia estar mais aflito do que eu?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the crushing moral and emotional aftermath of adharma-driven conflict: when one’s choices culminate in ruin, even kingship cannot shield one from grief. It also frames suffering through the twin lenses of time (aging) and daiva (fate), prompting reflection on responsibility, impermanence, and the cost of attachment.
In the opening of the Strī Parva, after the catastrophic war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks in despair. He reflects that old age has come upon him and that his entire family line has been destroyed; even his friends and well-wishers are gone. He asks rhetorically who on earth could be more miserable than he.