Shloka 10

Adhyāya 42 (Śānti Parva): Śrāddha, Aurdhvadaihika Rites, and Royal Welfare Measures

Devanagari script

याश्च तत्र स्त्रिय: काश्चिद्‌ हतवीरा हतात्मजा:

Transliteration

yāś ca tatra striyaḥ kāścid hatavīrā hatātmajāḥ

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说道：而在那裡，有些妇人——失却了她们的英雄夫君，又被夺去了儿子——也在场；她们身上带着战争摧毁与家族断绝之后所遗下的哀恸。

Word by Word

• याः: who/which (women)
• याः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक: या)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक: स्त्री)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• काश्चित्: some (women)
• काश्चित्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम् (स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक: का) + चित्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• हतवीराः: whose heroes/husbands are slain
• हतवीराः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हत (कृदन्त, √हन्) + वीर (प्रातिपदिक: वीर)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• हतात्मजाः: whose sons are slain
• हतात्मजाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हत (कृदन्त, √हन्) + आत्मज (प्रातिपदिक: आत्मज)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• women (striyaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the human cost of war: beyond fallen warriors, entire households suffer—women lose protectors and children, and society bears long-lasting moral and emotional consequences. It implicitly supports the Śānti Parva’s ethical reflection on restraint, responsibility, and the duty of rulers to prevent needless destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes the scene where women are seen in a state of bereavement—some having lost their husbands/warriors and some having lost their sons—underscoring the widespread devastation left by the conflict.