Shloka 5
इत्येवमुक्त्वा राजानं कृप: शारद्वतस्तत: । गान्धारी पुत्रशोकार्तामिदं वचनमत्रवीत्,राजा धुतराष्ट्रसे ऐसा कहकर शरद्वानके पुत्र कृपाचार्य पुत्रशोकसे पीड़ित हुई गान्धारीसे इस प्रकार बोले--
ity evam uktvā rājānaṃ kṛpaḥ śāradvatas tataḥ | gāndhārīṃ putraśokārtām idaṃ vacanam abravīt ||
Having thus addressed the king, Kṛpa—the son of Śāradvat—then spoke these words to Gāndhārī, who was overwhelmed by grief for her sons.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical speech in the wake of catastrophe: after advising the king, the speaker turns to the bereaved mother, implying that dharmic counsel must be matched by compassion toward those most wounded by the outcomes of adharma and war.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Kṛpa, having finished speaking to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, now addresses Gāndhārī, who is suffering intense sorrow over the death of her sons.