Shloka 26
आर्तनादो महानासीत् स्त्रीणां भरतसत्तम । भरतश्रेष्ठ जनमेजय! राजाओंमें सर्वश्रेष्ठ धृतराष्ट्रके व्याकुल होकर पृथ्वीपर गिर जानेसे महलमें स्त्रियोंका महान् आर्तनाद गूँज उठा
ārtanādo mahān āsīt strīṇāṃ bharatasattama | bharataśreṣṭha janamejaya rājñāṃ śreṣṭhasya dhṛtarāṣṭrasya vyākulaḥ pṛthivyāṃ nipatitasya mahale strīṇāṃ mahān ātanādaḥ pratyanunādayat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O best of the Bharatas, O foremost Bharata Janamejaya—when Dhṛtarāṣṭra, greatest among kings, was overcome and fell upon the earth, a mighty wail of anguish rose from the women within the palace. Thus is it seen that war’s calamities do not remain upon the battlefield alone: they shatter the household’s inner world, laying bare the human cost of attachment, grief, and the collapse of royal composure.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ripple-effect of adharma and war: suffering spreads beyond warriors to families and the vulnerable. A ruler’s inner collapse becomes a public calamity, reminding readers that power and status do not shield one from grief, and that ethical failures in governance and kinship lead to collective anguish.
As the war’s grim news and pressures mount, Dhṛtarāṣṭra becomes distraught and falls to the ground. Inside the palace, the women respond with a loud collective cry of lamentation, and the palace echoes with their wailing.