Shloka 5
Karṇa-nidhana-śravaṇa, Kṣaya-Varṇana, and Śeṣa-sainika-nirdeśa
Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall, Accounting of Losses, and Naming of Remaining Warriors
राजानं च समासाद्य गान्धारी भरतर्षभ । निःसंज्ञा पतिता भूमौ सर्वाण्यन्त:पुराणि च,भरतभूषण! गान्धारी देवी राजा धृतराष्ट्रके समीप आकर बेहोश हो भूमिपर गिर गयीं। अन्तःपुरकी सारी स्त्रियोंकी यही दशा हुई
rājānaṃ ca samāsādya gāndhārī bharatarṣabha | niḥsaṃjñā patitā bhūmau sarvāṇy antaḥpurāṇi ca ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O bull among the Bharatas, when Gāndhārī approached the king, she fell to the ground unconscious; and so too did all the women of the inner palace. The verse underscores how the shock of war’s consequences overwhelms even the royal household, revealing the human cost that follows adharma and fratricidal conflict.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitable human and moral fallout of destructive conflict: even those removed from the battlefield—like the royal women—are shattered by the consequences. It implicitly warns that adharma in public action (war driven by greed and hatred) produces suffering that spreads through the whole community.
Gāndhārī comes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and, overwhelmed by grief and shock, collapses unconscious. The women of the inner palace likewise faint, indicating a collective breakdown in the Kuru household as the calamities of the war reach them.