Shloka 17
Gāndhārī’s Grief, Vyāsa’s Pacification, and the Ethics of Retaliation (गान्धारी-शोकः शमोपदेशश्च)
ततः स भीम॑ च धनंजयं च माद्रयाश्न पुत्रौ पुरुषप्रवीरी । पस्पर्श गात्रै: प्ररुदन् सुगात्रा- नाश्वास्य कल्याणमुवाच चैतान्,तदनन्तर रोते हुए धृतराष्ट्रने सुन्दर शरीरवाले भीमसेन, अर्जुन तथा माद्रीके दोनों पुत्र नरवीर नकुल-सहदेवको अपने अंगोंसे लगाया और उन्हें सान्त्वना देकर कहा--*तुम्हारा कल्याण हो”
tataḥ sa bhīmaṁ ca dhanañjayaṁ ca mādrayāś ca putrau puruṣapravīrau | pasparśa gātraiḥ prarudan sugātrān āśvāsya kalyāṇam uvāca caitān ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then Dhṛtarāṣṭra, weeping, drew to himself with his limbs Bhīmasena and Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), and also the two heroic sons of Mādrī. Touching those noble-bodied warriors, he consoled them and said, “May good befall you.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid irreparable loss, ethical conduct includes acknowledging others’ suffering and offering consolation; Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s blessing (“kalyāṇam”) gestures toward reconciliation and restraint after violence.
In the Stree Parva’s mourning context, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, overcome with grief, physically embraces Bhīma, Arjuna, and Mādrī’s two sons (Nakula and Sahadeva), comforts them, and pronounces a benediction for their welfare.