Shloka 10
Adhyāya 17 — Gandhārī’s Vilāpa at Duryodhana’s Body (स्त्रीपर्व, अध्याय १७)
अमर्षणं युधां श्रेष्ठ कृतास्त्र युद्धदुर्मदम् । शयानं वीरशयने पश्य माधव मे सुतम्,“माधव! अमर्षशील, योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ, अस्त्र-विद्याके ज्ञाता, रणदुर्मद तथा वीरशय्यापर सोये हुए मेरे इस पुत्रको देखो तो सही
Vaiśampāyana uvāca:
amarṣaṇaṃ yudhāṃ śreṣṭha kṛtāstra-yuddha-durmadam |
śayānaṃ vīraśayane paśya mādhava me sutam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Mādhava, look at my son—unyielding in spirit, the best among warriors, trained in the use of weapons, and once intoxicated with the pride of battle—now lying upon the hero’s bed (the battlefield).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral irony of war: even the most formidable, proud, and highly trained warrior is reduced to silence on the battlefield. It points to the impermanence of martial glory and invites reflection on the ethical cost of violence and the fragility of human life.
In the aftermath of the great war, a grieving parent addresses Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava), urging him to look upon the fallen son—once renowned for valor and weapon-skill—now lying on the ‘hero’s bed,’ a poignant image for death in battle.