Shloka 413
विवर्णवदना भूत्वा पर्यपृच्छन्त ते सुतम् वर्तमान जनसंहारमें राजाको न देखकर वे महारथी आपके पुत्रको मारा गया मान बैठे और मुँह उदास करके सबसे आपके पुत्रका पता पूछने लगे
vivarṇavadanā bhūtvā paryapṛcchanta te sutam | vartamāna-jana-saṃhārame rājānaṃ na dadṛśuḥ | te mahārathinaḥ putraṃ tava hataṃ manyamānāḥ | mukhaṃ viṣaṇṇaṃ kṛtvā sarvataḥ putrasya te vārttāṃ papracchuḥ ||
सञ्जय उवाच—विवर्णवदनाः खिन्नाः सन्तस्ते महारथाः, जनसंहारे नृपं न दृष्ट्वा, तव सुतं हतं मेनिरे; ततः सर्वत्र विषण्णमुखाः सुतवृत्तं पप्रच्छुः।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war breeds confusion and premature conclusions: when leadership is not visible, fear turns into assumption, and collective grief spreads without verified knowledge—an ethical reminder of the human cost of violence and the fragility of judgment under terror.
During the ongoing carnage, the Kaurava great warriors cannot see their king (Duryodhana). They infer he has been killed, become pale and dejected, and begin asking everywhere for information about him.