Shloka 5
नारदेन धृतराष्ट्रगतिवर्णनम् | Nārada’s Account of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Future Course
महाप्रज्ञा बुद्धिमती देवी धर्मार्थदर्शिनी । आगमापायतत्त्वज्ञा कच्चिदेषा न शोचति
mahāprajñā buddhimatī devī dharmārthadarśinī | āgamāpāyatattvajñā kaccid eṣā na śocati ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Gāndhārī is a woman of great insight and intelligence, a noble lady who clearly discerns dharma and artha. She understands the true principles of coming and going—birth and death. Does she, then, not grieve at all?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological ideal: one who truly understands dharma and artha, and who grasps the reality of birth and death, is expected to meet loss with steadiness rather than being overwhelmed by grief.
Vaiśampāyana describes Gāndhārī’s exceptional discernment and her understanding of the truths of life and death, then poses a reflective question—whether such a woman would still experience sorrow—framing her as a model of composed wisdom amid the aftermath of catastrophe.