Shloka 54

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच श्रुत्वैतदप्रियं राजा धृतराष्ट्रोडम्बिकासुत: । पपात भूमौ निश्वेष्टश्छिन्नममूल इव द्रुम:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! यह अप्रिय समाचार सुनकर अम्बिकानन्दन राजा धृतराष्ट्र निश्वेष्ट हो जड़से कटे हुए वृक्षकी भाँति पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca: śrutvaitad apriyaṃ rājā dhṛtarāṣṭro ’mbikāsutaḥ | papāta bhūmau niṣveṣṭaś chinnamūla iva drumaḥ ||

Translation

毗舍摩波耶那说：听到这令人痛苦而不愿闻的消息，安毗迦之子、国王持国倒在地上，无助地扭动，如同根被斩断的树木。

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

एतत्this

अप्रियम्unpleasant

राजाthe king

धृतराष्ट्रःDhṛtarāṣṭra

अम्बिकासुतःson of Ambikā

पपातfell

भूमौon the ground

निश्वेष्टःmotionless, without movement

छिन्नमूलःwith roots cut off

इवlike, as if

द्रुमःa tree

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Ambikā

Janamejaya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the fruits of one’s choices—especially partiality and moral compromise—return as unbearable sorrow. Even royal power cannot shield a person from the inner collapse caused by attachment and the shock of karmic consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports to Janamejaya that Dhṛtarāṣṭra, upon hearing an extremely unwelcome update from the war, falls to the ground and writhes, compared to a tree uprooted by having its roots cut.