Question:
केशवं पतितं दृष्ट्वा
पाण्डवा हर्षनिर्भराः ।
रुदन्ति कौरवास्सर्वे
हा हा केशव केशव ॥
केशवं पतितं दृष्ट्वा
पाण्डवा हर्षनिर्भराः ।
रुदन्ति कौरवास्सर्वे
हा हा केशव केशव ॥
keśavaṃ patitaṃ dṛṣṭvā
pāṇḍavā harṣanirbharāḥ ।
rudanti kauravāssarve
hā hā keśava keśava ॥
Exposition:
This one's a spinner!
केशवं पतितं दृष्ट्वा
पाण्डवाः हर्ष-निर्भराः ।
रुदन्ति कौरवाः सर्वे
हा हा केशव केशव ॥
This one's a spinner!
केशवं पतितं दृष्ट्वा
पाण्डवाः हर्ष-निर्भराः ।
रुदन्ति कौरवाः सर्वे
हा हा केशव केशव ॥
keśavaṃ patitaṃ dṛṣṭvā
pāṇḍavāḥ harṣa-nirbharāḥ ।
rudanti kauravāḥ sarve
hā hā keśava keśava ॥
Seeing the fallen keshava,
the pāṇḍava-s were filled with ecstasy
All the kaurava-s were crying
O Keśava, O Keśava!
Answer:
Hmmm..., interesting scenario, isn't it?!! The pāṇḍava-s rejoicing, whereas kaurava-s lamenting for Keśava?!! Almost looks like the poet made a mistake in placing the words! (Keśava is one of the many names of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He was called so after he slayed a demon named keshi.)
This is a Śleṣa (श्लेष), meaning riddles based on double meanings or puns. A single word or phrase can be split or interpreted in two different ways to solve the puzzle.
Well, let's see some special words in the verse here -
केशव, if split as के शव (ke shava)
के (seventh case of कं shabda) - in the water
शव - cadaver (dead body),
it means - dead body in the water
पाण्डव when split as पा अण्डवाः (pā aṇḍavāḥ)
पा - water
अण्डवाः - those born from eggs,
means - fish born in the water from eggs
कौरवाः, if split as कौ रवाः (kau ravāḥ)
कौ - horrible
रवाः - noise
refers to - wolves/fox which howl a horrible cry
Now, the meaning becomes,
On seeing the cadaver fallen in the water, the fish were ecstatic (that was a feast for them), whereas the wolves were lamenting as they could not get a bite of the dead body in the water!
Phew, now that makes more sense, doesn't it :).
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