Shloka 1736
Gāndhārī’s Petition for a Vision of the Departed (गान्धार्याः प्रार्थना—दिव्यदर्शनप्रसङ्गः)
समन्ततः परिक्षिप्ता माताभून्मे दवाग्निना । 'भीमसेन! इस भयसे मुझे बचाओ, ऐसा कहकर चारों ओर चीखती-चिल्लाती हुई मेरी माताको दावानलने जलाकर भस्म कर दिया होगा
samantataḥ parikṣiptā mātābhūn me davāgninā | bhīmasena! asya bhayāt māṃ mocaya iti uktvā caturdiśaṃ krandantī vilapantī ca mama mātā davānalena dagdhvā bhasmībhūtā bhaviṣyati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Ibuku terkepung dari segala arah oleh api rimba. Sambil meratap dan menjerit ke segala penjuru, ia berseru, ‘Bhīmasena! Selamatkan aku dari ketakutan ini!’—dan pastilah ia terbakar oleh kobaran itu hingga menjadi abu.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical weight of kinship and protection (especially toward one’s mother) and the painful recognition of impermanence: even the most revered relationships are vulnerable to sudden loss, calling for compassion and steadiness in dharma amid grief.
Yudhiṣṭhira imagines (or fears) that his mother has been trapped by a forest-fire. He recalls her desperate cry to Bhīma for rescue and concludes that she may have been burned to ashes, expressing intense sorrow and helplessness.