Shloka 55
तथा सा पतिता देवी गान्धारी दीर्घदर्शिनी । शुशोच बहुलालापै: कर्णस्य निधन युधि
tathā sā patitā devī gāndhārī dīrghadarśinī | śuśoca bahulālāpaiḥ karṇasya nidhanaṃ yudhi ||
Thus the noble queen Gāndhārī, famed for far-seeing wisdom, fell down overcome by grief. With many lamenting cries she mourned Karṇa’s death on the battlefield.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the wise and far-sighted are not immune to the human consequences of adharma-driven conflict: war culminates in irreversible loss, and the death of a great fighter becomes collective sorrow, exposing the ethical cost of ambition and enmity.
After hearing of Karṇa’s death in battle, Gāndhārī collapses and mourns intensely, crying out in many lamentations; Vaiśampāyana narrates her reaction as part of the wider grief that follows the turning points of the war.