Shloka 35
Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Survey: The Fallen and the Onset of Funeral Rites (शल्य-भगीरथ-भीष्म-द्रोणादि-दर्शनम्)
तां पश्य रुदतीमार्ता मुक्तकेशीमधोमुखीम् । हतं पतिमुपासन्तीं द्रोणं शस्त्रभृतां वरम्,देखो, कृपी केश खोले नीचे मुँह किये रोती हुई अपने मारे गये पति शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ द्रोणाचार्यकी उपासना कर रही है
tāṃ paśya rudatīmārtāṃ muktakeśīm adhomukhīm | hataṃ patim upāsantīṃ droṇaṃ śastrabhṛtāṃ varam ||
Behold her—Kṛpī—overwhelmed with anguish, weeping with her hair unbound and her face cast down, keeping vigil beside her slain husband, Droṇa, the foremost among weapon-bearers.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and human aftermath of war: martial glory cannot prevent death, and violence leaves survivors—especially women in the Strī-parvan—bearing grief, social rupture, and the duty of honoring the dead. It implicitly critiques the cost of adharma-driven conflict by foregrounding mourning rather than victory.
Vaiśampāyana directs attention to Kṛpī, who is crying with her hair loosened and her face lowered, staying beside and honoring her slain husband Droṇa, described as the foremost of warriors. The focus is on her lament and vigil in the post-battle landscape.