Shloka 2
स्त्रीपर्व — गान्धारीविलापः
Strī Parva — Gāndhārī’s Lament over the Fallen
गान्धारी बोलीं--माधव! यह मेरा पुत्र विकर्ण, जो दिद्दानोंद्वारा सम्मानित होता था, भूमिपर मरा पड़ा है। भीमसेनने इसके भी सौ-सौ टुकड़े कर डाले हैं ।। गजमध्ये हतः शेते विकर्णो मधुसूदन । नीलमेघपरिक्षिप्त: शरदीव निशाकर:,मधुसूदन! जैसे शरत्कालमें काले मेघोंकी घटासे घिरा हुआ चन्द्रमा शोभा पा रहा हो, उसी प्रकार भीमद्वारा मारा गया विकर्ण हाथियोंकी सेनाके बीचमें सो रहा है
gajamadhye hataḥ śete vikarṇo madhusūdana | nīlamegha-parikṣiptaḥ śaradīva niśākaraḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O Madhusūdana, Vikarna lies slain amid the ranks of elephants. Like the moon in autumn—made radiant though encircled by masses of dark clouds—so does Vikarna, struck down in battle, lie there, his fallen form marked by a grim, mournful splendor. The scene lays bare the ethical tragedy of kin-slaying in war: valor and nobility do not shield one from the ruin that adharma-driven conflict brings upon a family.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when warriors act within the framework of battle, the Mahābhārata highlights the moral cost of a war born of adharma: noble qualities and personal valor cannot prevent collective ruin, and the aftermath is dominated by grief, reflection, and ethical reckoning.
In Strī Parva’s lamentation setting, the fallen are being seen and mourned. This verse describes Vikarna lying dead amid the elephant forces, using an image-comparison: like the autumn moon ringed by dark clouds, his body appears striking even in death—intensifying the pathos of the battlefield scene.