Shloka 313
स्त्रीपर्व — अध्याय १५: गान्धारी-युधिष्ठिर-संवादः
Gandhārī’s Confrontation and Consolation of Yudhiṣṭhira
गान्धारी विगतक्रोधा सान्त्वयामास मातृवत् | उनकी यह अवस्था देख अर्जुन भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण-के पीछे जाकर छिप गये। भारत! उन्हें इस प्रकार इधर-उधर छिपनेकी चेष्टा करते देख गान्धारीका क्रोध उतर गया और उन्होंने उन सबको स्नेहमयी माताके समान सान्त्वना दी
gāndhārī vigatakrodhā sāntvayāmāsa mātṛvat |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Gandhārī, her anger having subsided, comforted them all like a mother. Seeing Arjuna slip behind Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa to hide, and noticing their anxious efforts to avoid her gaze, her wrath melted into maternal compassion.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the wake of unbearable loss, anger need not be the final response; recognizing fear, remorse, and shared suffering can transform wrath into compassionate, maternal consolation—an ethical movement from retribution toward healing.
After the devastation of the war, Gandhārī initially stands in a position of anger and grief. Seeing Arjuna retreat behind Kṛṣṇa and observing the others’ uneasy attempts to avoid her, her anger subsides, and she comforts them like a mother.