Shloka 24
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
यत्र नाहं न मे माता विप्रयुज्येत जीवितात्
yatra nāhaṁ na me mātā viprayujyeta jīvitāt |
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Sa ganitong matinding panganib, ni ako ni ang aking ina ay hindi pa hinihiwalay sa buhay—ay, ay! Nakakahiya sa akin! Mga tao, tingnan ninyo! Narito sa lupa ang gintong baluting pandigma ng bayani ng Kuru na si Arjuna, nakahandusay at itinapon—pinatay ko siya, ako na sarili niyang anak.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical shock of violence within one’s own lineage: even when events are driven by duty or circumstance, the moral weight of harming kin produces profound remorse and self-reproach, urging reflection on dharma, restraint, and the tragic costs of war.
Within Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a lament is voiced in which the speaker says that in this crisis he and his mother still live, yet he condemns himself and points to Arjuna’s golden armour lying on the earth—signifying that Arjuna, the Kuru hero, has been struck down by his own son.