Shloka 10
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
कोसलानामधिपतिं राजपुत्रं बृहदूबलम् । भर्तरें परिवार्यता: पृथक् प्ररुदिता: स्त्रिय:
kośalānām adhipatiṁ rājaputraṁ bṛhadūbalam | bhartāraṁ parivārya tāḥ pṛthak praruditāḥ striyaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “The women, gathering around their husband—Bṛhadūbala, the prince and lord of the Kośalas—began to weep, each apart in her own grief.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical aftermath of war: victory and heroism are shadowed by the private suffering of families. It draws attention to compassion and the recognition that violence produces enduring grief beyond the battlefield.
In the Strī Parva’s mourning scenes after the war, the women of Bṛhadūbala’s household gather around him and cry out in sorrow, each expressing grief individually as they confront the loss of their husband and protector.