Mahabharata 11.19.4 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 19, Shloka 4
स्त्रीपर्व — गान्धारीविलापः
Strī Parva — Gāndhārī’s Lament over the Fallen
अस्य भार्या5<मिषप्रेप्सून् गृध्रकाकांस्तपस्विनी । वारयत्यनिशं बाला न च शकनोति माधव
asya bhāryā māṁsa-prepsūn gṛdhra-kākāṁs tapasvinī | vārayaty aniśaṁ bālā na ca śaknoti mādhava mādhava ||
মাধব! তার তপস্বিনী স্ত্রী—যে এখনও কিশোরী—মাংসলোভী শকুন ও কাকদের অবিরাম তাড়াতে চেষ্টা করে; কিন্তু সে সফল হতে পারে না।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one is virtuous and vigilant, the consequences of adharma and mass violence can overwhelm individual effort. The verse evokes compassion and ethical reflection on war’s lingering harm, especially to the innocent.
Vaiśampāyana describes a young ascetic wife trying continuously to ward off vultures and crows that seek flesh, but she cannot. The image belongs to the Stree Parva’s portrayal of the battlefield’s horrors and the women’s grief after the war.
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