Shloka 17
स्वस्त्रीयं वासुदेवस्य पुत्र गाण्डीवधन्चन: । कथं त्वां रणमध्यस्थं जघ्नुरेते महारथा:,'प्राणनाथ! आप वसुदेवनन्दन श्रीकृष्णके भानजे और गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुनके पुत्र थे। रणभूमिके मध्यभागमें खड़े हुए आपको इन महारथियोंने कैसे मार डाला?
svastīryaṃ vāsudevasya putra gāṇḍīvadhanvanaḥ | kathaṃ tvāṃ raṇamadhyasthaṃ jaghnur ete mahārathāḥ ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：“噢，我生命所系的挚爱之主！你是婆苏提婆（克里希那）的外甥，又是持甘狄婆神弓的阿周那之子。你立于战场正中，这些大车战士怎能将你杀害？”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral shock of war: even exalted lineage and proven valor do not guarantee protection when dharma collapses in battle. It frames the death as an ethical problem—how could ‘great warriors’ kill one who stood openly in the fight—inviting reflection on fairness, collective violence, and the tragic consequences of adharma.
In the Strīparvan’s lamentation context, the speaker highlights the slain hero’s identity—Kṛṣṇa’s nephew and Arjuna’s son—and asks how the assembled mahārathas could kill him despite his standing in the thick of combat. The question intensifies the grief and points toward the controversial circumstances of his killing.