Shloka 53
Gaṅgā-tīra Udaka-kriyā and Kuntī’s Disclosure of Karṇa’s Maternity
Strī-parva, Adhyāya 27
वीरपत्नीभिराकीर्ण गज़ातीरमशो भत । महासागरके समान विशाल वह गंगातट आनन्द और उत्सवसे शून्य होनेपर भी उन वीर-पत्नियोंसे व्याप्त होनेके कारण बड़ी शोभा पाने लगा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | vīrapatnībhiḥ ākīrṇaṃ gaṅgātīram aśobhat | mahāsāgarakasamaṃ viśālaṃ tad gaṅgātaṭam ānanda-utsavaśūnyaṃ api vīrapatnībhiḥ vyāptaṃ sat mahatyā śobhāṃ prāpa |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Das Ufer der Gaṅgā, dicht erfüllt von den Frauen der gefallenen Helden, erschien von eindringlicher Wirkung. Weit wie der große Ozean war diese breite Flussbank; obgleich aller Freude und Festlichkeit beraubt, gewann sie doch einen ernsten Glanz, weil sie von jenen heldenhaften Frauen erfüllt war, deren Gegenwart die Trauer selbst zu einem feierlichen Zeugnis für den Preis des Krieges machte.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of war: even when victory is claimed, the visible presence of widows turns the landscape into a moral reminder of loss. It suggests that true assessment of action (dharma) must include its human cost, not merely its political outcome.
In the Strī Parva’s mourning context, the Gaṅgā’s broad bank is described as being filled with the wives of slain warriors. Though the place lacks joy and celebration, it attains a solemn, poignant splendor because of the gathered women and their grief.