Shloka 34
स्त्रीपर्व — अध्याय १५: गान्धारी-युधिष्ठिर-संवादः
Gandhārī’s Confrontation and Consolation of Yudhiṣṭhira
बाष्पमाहारयद् देवी वस्त्रेणावृत्य वै मुखम् । कुन्तीदेवी दीर्घकालके बाद अपने पुत्रोंकी देखकर उनके कष्टोंका स्मरण करके करुणामें डूब गयीं और अंचलसे मुँह ढककर आँसू बहाने लगीं ।। ३३ $ ।। ततो बाष्पं समुत्सृज्य सह पुत्रैस्तदा पृथा
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | bāṣpam āhārayad devī vastreṇāvṛtya vai mukham | tato bāṣpaṃ samutsṛjya saha putrais tadā pṛthā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The noble queen, covering her face with her garment, began to shed tears. Then, after letting her tears flow, Pṛthā (Kuntī), together with her sons, moved forward—overwhelmed by compassion as she recalled the long years of hardship and the suffering she now saw before her. The passage underscores the moral weight of war’s aftermath: even the victors are bound to grief, remembrance, and responsibility toward the dead and the living.
वैशम्पायन उवाच