Shloka 28
Adhyāya 17 — Gandhārī’s Vilāpa at Duryodhana’s Body (स्त्रीपर्व, अध्याय १७)
पुत्र रुधिरसंसिक्तमुपजिप्रत्यनिन्दिता । दुर्योधन तु वामोरु: पाणिना परिमार्जती
putra-rudhira-saṁsiktam upajihpraty aninditā | duryodhanaṁ tu vāmoruḥ pāṇinā parimārjatī ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Die untadelige Frau, die Zunge hervorgestreckt, wischte mit ihrer Hand das Blut ab, das den Leib (oder das Glied) ihres Sohnes Duryodhana beschmierte. Dieses Bild macht den harten menschlichen Preis des Krieges sichtbar: Selbst in berechtigter Trauer erniedrigen die Folgen eines von Adharma getriebenen Konflikts königliche Häuser zu hilflosem Klagen und zu innigen Handgriffen der Fürsorge für die Gefallenen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and human aftermath of adharma-driven war: power and pride culminate in suffering, and even the ‘victors’ and ‘vanquished’ alike are left with grief, helplessness, and the duty of care for the dead.
In the Stree Parva’s lamentation scenes, a blameless woman—understood in context as Gāndhārī—approaches the fallen Duryodhana and, overwhelmed with sorrow, wipes the blood from her son’s body with her hand.