Shloka 36
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
यदि नोीत्तिष्ठति जय: पिता मे नरसत्तम: । अस्मिन्नेव रणोद्देशे शोषयिष्ये कलेवरम्
yadi no tiṣṭhati jayaḥ pitā me narasattamaḥ | asminneva raṇoddeśe śoṣayiṣye kalevaram ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Nếu phụ thân ta—Arjuna, bậc tối thượng trong loài người, đấng chiến thắng—không sống lại mà đứng dậy nữa, thì ngay trên chiến địa này ta sẽ tuyệt thực cho đến khi thân xác khô kiệt.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense personal bonds and grief can crystallize into a vow of austerity (tapas). Ethically, it shows a mind seeking moral leverage—through self-discipline rather than further violence—when confronted with the possible loss of a revered protector.
A speaker, reported by Vaiśampāyana, declares that if Arjuna (called ‘the victorious’ and ‘best of men’) does not rise alive, he will undertake a fast unto bodily wasting on the very battlefield—an extreme response to the crisis surrounding Arjuna’s condition.