Shloka 1
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
अफ--णकात अशीतितमो<्ध्याय: चित्रांगदाका विलाप
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tato bahutaraṃ bhīrur vilapya kamalekṣaṇā | mumoh duḥkha-santaptā papāta ca mahītale ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then the lotus-eyed Citrāṅgadā, timid by nature, lamented at great length. Scorched by the anguish of separation from her husband, she fainted and fell upon the ground.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human cost of conflict: sorrow and collapse follow separation and loss. Ethically, it invites compassion and responsible action from those who can heal or restore, rather than indifference to suffering.
After the crisis involving Arjuna (in the surrounding episode), Citrāṅgadā is overwhelmed by grief at her husband’s separation and fate; she laments intensely, faints, and falls to the ground as Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya.