Shloka 18
Āśramāgamanam — The Pāṇḍavas Arrive at Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Hermitage
दिव्यज्ञानबलोपेता गान्धारी च यशस्विनी । ददर्श पुत्रांस्तान् सर्वान् ये चान्येडपि मृथे हता:
divyajñānabalopetā gāndhārī ca yaśasvinī | dadarśa putrāṁs tān sarvān ye cānye 'pi mṛthe hatāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Endowed with divine insight and inner strength, the illustrious Gāndhārī beheld all those sons of hers, and also the other kinsmen who had been slain on the battlefield. The scene underscores how extraordinary knowledge does not erase grief, but compels one to face the full moral weight of war and its irreversible losses.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one gains extraordinary insight and spiritual power, the ethical reality of violence remains: war culminates in irreversible loss. The verse highlights the necessity of facing consequences directly—knowledge deepens responsibility rather than providing escape from sorrow.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that Gāndhārī, empowered with divine knowledge and strength, is able to see her slain sons and other relatives who died in the great battle, bringing the devastation of the conflict vividly before her.