Shloka 24
अभिमन्युविलापः (Abhimanyu-vilāpa) — Uttarā’s lament, observed and framed by Gandhārī
दुर्मरं पुनरप्राप्ते काले भवति केनचित् । यदहं त्वां रणे दृष्टवा हतं जीवामि दुर्भगा,“जान पड़ता है कि मृत्युकाल आये बिना किसीका भी मरना अत्यन्त कठिन है, तभी तो मैं अभागिनी आपको युद्धमें मारा गया देखकर भी अबतक जी रही हूँ
durmaraṃ punaraprāpte kāle bhavati kenacit | yad ahaṃ tvāṃ raṇe dṛṣṭvā hataṃ jīvāmi durbhagā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Death is exceedingly hard to meet for anyone until the appointed time has truly arrived. That is why I, unfortunate as I am, still live—even after seeing you slain on the battlefield.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a Mahābhārata theme: death is governed by kāla (the destined time). Until that moment arrives, even those who long for death in grief may be unable to die—suggesting the force of fate/time operating alongside human suffering and moral consequence.
In the Strī Parva’s lamentation context after the great war, a grieving voice reflects that it is difficult for anyone to die before their appointed time; thus she remains alive despite having witnessed her beloved/kinsman slain in battle.