Mahabharata — Karna Parva, Shloka 5
Karṇa-nidhana-śravaṇa, Kṣaya-Varṇana, and Śeṣa-sainika-nirdeśa
Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall, Accounting of Losses, and Naming of Remaining Warriors
राजानं च समासाद्य गान्धारी भरतर्षभ । निःसंज्ञा पतिता भूमौ सर्वाण्यन्त:पुराणि च,भरतभूषण! गान्धारी देवी राजा धृतराष्ट्रके समीप आकर बेहोश हो भूमिपर गिर गयीं। अन्तःपुरकी सारी स्त्रियोंकी यही दशा हुई
rājānaṃ ca samāsādya gāndhārī bharatarṣabha | niḥsaṃjñā patitā bhūmau sarvāṇy antaḥpurāṇi ca ||
قال فايشَمبايانا: يا ثورَ آلِ بهاراتا، لما اقتربت غاندھاري من الملك سقطت على الأرض مغشيًّا عليها؛ وكذلك سقطت نساءُ الحريم جميعًا. وتُبرز الآية كيف يطغى صدمُ عواقب الحرب حتى على البيت الملكي، كاشفًا الثمن الإنساني الذي يعقب الأدهارما والصراعَ الأخويَّ القاتل.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitable human and moral fallout of destructive conflict: even those removed from the battlefield—like the royal women—are shattered by the consequences. It implicitly warns that adharma in public action (war driven by greed and hatred) produces suffering that spreads through the whole community.
Gāndhārī comes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and, overwhelmed by grief and shock, collapses unconscious. The women of the inner palace likewise faint, indicating a collective breakdown in the Kuru household as the calamities of the war reach them.