Shloka 10
Duryodhana’s Post-Duel Lament and Instructions (भग्नसक्थस्य विलापः)
चिन्तयानो महाभागां गान्धारी तपसान्विताम् । घोरेण तपसा युक्तां त्रैलोक्यमपि सा दहेत्
cintayāno mahābhāgāṃ gāndhārīṃ tapasānvitām | ghoreṇa tapasā yuktāṃ trailokyam api sā dahet ||
As he reflected on the noble Gandhārī, endowed with austerity, he thought that, armed with such fierce tapas, she could burn even the three worlds.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tapas (austerity) is portrayed as a real moral-spiritual force: when a righteous, suffering person like Gandhārī is intensely devoted to penance, that inner heat can become powerful enough to threaten even cosmic stability—hence it must be approached with reverence and caution.
The narrator describes someone (contextually, a principal figure reflecting on the situation after the war) thinking about Gandhārī’s formidable ascetic power, recognizing that her fierce penance could metaphorically or supernaturally ‘burn’ the three worlds—foreshadowing the danger of her wrath and the consequences of the war’s moral fallout.