Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

तथा दृष्टवा तु राजानं बाष्पशोकसमन्वितम्‌

Transliteration

tathā dṛṣṭvā tu rājānaṃ bāṣpaśokasamanvitam

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Thấy nhà vua như thế—bị nước mắt và sầu khổ bao trùm—những người chứng kiến đều hiểu thấu nỗi đau sâu thẳm của người giữa tai ương chiến trận.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), active (parasmaipada sense)

• तु: but, indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• राजानम्: the king
• राजानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• बाष्पशोकसमन्वितम्: endowed with tears and grief
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाष्पशोकसमन्वित
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• the king (rājā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the human cost of war: even a king, expected to embody steadiness and authority, can be overwhelmed by grief. It implicitly invites reflection on dharma and ethical responsibility—power does not exempt one from sorrow, and actions in war bear profound emotional consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the king is seen in a state of intense lamentation, marked by tears and sorrow. The line functions as a narrative cue, emphasizing the king’s emotional collapse and setting the tone for the surrounding events in the Shalya Parva.