Mahabharata 11.25.2 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 25, Shloka 2
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
यस्य क्षतजसंदिग्धौ बाहू चन्दनभूषितौ । अवेक्ष्य करुणं भार्या विलपत्यतिदु:खिता,उसकी चन्दनचर्चित भुजाओंको रक्तमें सनी हुई देख उसकी पत्नी अत्यन्त दुःखी हो करुणाजनक विलाप कर रही है
yasya kṣataja-saṁdigdhau bāhū candana-bhūṣitau | avekṣya karuṇaṁ bhāryā vilapaty ati-duḥkhitā ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Al ver sus dos brazos—antes ungidos con pasta de sándalo—ahora manchados de sangre, su esposa, vencida por el dolor, se lamenta de un modo desgarrador. El verso subraya el costo humano de la guerra: la belleza y la dignidad del cuerpo vivo se transforman de golpe en señales de violencia, y a los deudos sólo les queda llorar.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and emotional aftermath of war: violence does not end on the battlefield but continues in the suffering of families. It evokes compassion by contrasting former adornment (sandalwood) with present horror (blood), reminding the listener of the tragic cost borne by the innocent and bereaved.
In the Strī Parva setting, women encounter the slain and wounded after the great war. Here, a wife sees her husband’s arms—previously anointed with sandalwood—now stained with blood, and she breaks into a sorrowful lament.
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