Shloka 22
Gandhārī’s Lament for Bhūriśravas and Śakuni
Book 11, Chapter 24
इत्येवं गर्हयित्वैषा तूष्णीमास्ते वराड़ना । तामेतामनुशोचन्ति सपत्न्य: स्वामिव स्नुषाम्,इस तरह अर्जुनकी निन्दा करके यह सुन्दरी चुप हो गयी है। इसकी बड़ी सौतें इसके लिये उसी प्रकार शोक प्रकट कर रही हैं, जैसे सास अपनी बहूके लिये किया करती है
ity evaṁ garhayitvaivā tūṣṇīm āste varāḍanā | tām etām anuśocanti sapatnyaḥ svām iva snuṣām ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Having thus censured him, that noble lady fell silent. Her co-wives then lamented for her—just as a mother-in-law grieves for her daughter-in-law.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of harsh reproach and the human aftermath of conflict: after condemnation comes silence, and the community—here, even rival co-wives—responds with shared compassion, showing that grief can soften rivalry and reaffirm familial duties.
After speaking words of censure (directed at Arjuna in the surrounding context), the woman described as varāḍanā becomes silent. Observing her state, her co-wives express sorrow for her, compared to the conventional tenderness of a mother-in-law grieving for her daughter-in-law.