Shloka 133
Gāndhārī’s Petition for a Vision of the Departed (गान्धार्याः प्रार्थना—दिव्यदर्शनप्रसङ्गः)
वृथाग्निना समायोगो यदभूत् पृथिवीपते: । भगवन! राजा धृतराष्ट्रके शरीरको जो व्यर्थ (लौकिक) अग्निका संयोग प्राप्त हुआ, यह दूसरी अत्यन्त कष्ट देनेवाली बात जान पड़ती है
vṛthāgninā samāyogo yad abhūt pṛthivīpateḥ | bhagavan, rājā dhṛtarāṣṭrasya śarīrako yo vyartha-laukikāgninā saṃyogaḥ prāptaḥ, eṣā dvitīyātyanta-kaṣṭa-dāyinī bātā jānāyate |
Wahai Bhagavān, bahwa sang penguasa bumi—Raja Dhṛtarāṣṭra—bersentuhan dengan api yang sia-sia, semata api duniawi, tampak bagiku sebagai peristiwa kedua yang amat menyayat duka.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical pain caused when a life already burdened by consequences ends in a seemingly ‘vain’ or merely worldly manner. It underscores impermanence and the tragic residue of adharma: even after war and reconciliation, suffering can continue, urging humility, compassion, and detachment from outcomes.
Yudhiṣṭhira laments the report of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s end in the forest—his body meeting fire. Addressing a revered elder (contextually a sage/authority present in the episode), he calls this a ‘second’ intensely painful blow, adding to earlier griefs surrounding the Kuru family’s destruction.