Shloka 5
गान्धारी-प्रशमनम् — Pacification of Gāndhārī and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel at Hāstinapura
गतोत्सवं पुरमिव हृतनागमिव हृदम् | स्त्रीवर्षवरभूयिष्ठं वृद्धामात्यैरधिष्ठितम्,तत्पश्चात् कुन्तीके पुत्रोंने पहले दुर्योधनके शिबिरमें प्रवेश किया। जैसे दर्शकोंके चले जानेपर सूना रंगमण्डप शोभाहीन दिखायी देता है, उसी प्रकार जिसका स्वामी मारा गया था, वह शिबिर उत्सवशून्य नगर और नागरहित सरोवरके समान श्रीहीन जान पड़ता था। वहाँ रहनेवाले लोगोंमें अधिकांश स्त्रियाँ और नपुंसक थे तथा बूढ़े मन्त्री अधिष्ठाता बनकर उस शिबिरका संरक्षण कर रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | gatotsavaṃ puram iva hṛtanāgam iva hradam | strīvarṣavarabhūyiṣṭhaṃ vṛddhāmātyair adhiṣṭhitam | tat paścāt kuntīke putro 'tha prāviśad duryodhanasya śibiram | yathā darśakānāṃ gateṣu śūnyaṃ raṅgamaṇḍapaṃ śobhāhīnaṃ dṛśyate tathā svāminā hate tasya śibirasya gatotsava-nagaropamaṃ hṛtanāga-hradopamaṃ ca śrīhīnaṃ babhūva | tatra nivāsibhir bahavaḥ striyo napuṃsakāś ca vṛddhā amātyā adhiṣṭhātāraḥ kṛtvā śibirasya rakṣāṃ kurvanti sma ||
Sañjaya said: After that, Kuntī’s son entered Duryodhana’s camp. It looked like a city whose festivities had ended, or like a lake bereft of its nāgas—stripped of splendor. Just as a theatre becomes dull once the spectators have departed, so too that camp, its lord having been slain, appeared joyless and forlorn. Most of those remaining there were women and eunuchs, while aged ministers stood as overseers, guarding and administering the camp in the aftermath of its leader’s fall.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly splendor: when the leader (svāmin) falls, the outward ‘śrī’ of power collapses quickly. It also hints at ethical reality in war—victory and defeat leave behind vulnerable noncombatants, while governance shifts to elders and administrators who must preserve order amid loss.
Sañjaya describes Kuntī’s son entering Duryodhana’s camp after its lord has been slain. The camp appears deserted and joyless, compared to an empty theatre and a lake without nāgas. Those remaining are largely women and eunuchs, with aged ministers overseeing and protecting the encampment.