Shloka 4
Chapter 10: Survivors Console the Royal Couple and Disperse (धृतराष्ट्र–गान्धारी प्रति निवेदनम्)
गान्धारी पुत्रशोकार्ता भर्तुर्वचननोदिता । सह कुन्त्या यतो राजा सह स्त्रीभिरुपाद्रवत्,गान्धारी पुत्रशोकसे पीड़ित हो रही थीं, पतिकी आज्ञा पाकर वे कुन्ती तथा अन्य स्त्रियोंके साथ जहाँ राजा धृतराष्ट्र थे, वहाँ आयीं
gāndhārī putraśokārtā bhartur vacananoditā | saha kuntyā yato rājā saha strībhir upādravat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Gandhārī, overwhelmed by grief for her sons and urged on by her husband’s command, hurried—together with Kuntī and the other women—to the place where the king was. The passage underscores how personal sorrow is carried within the bounds of duty and obedience to rightful instruction, even amid the moral devastation after war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in overwhelming personal grief, characters act within the framework of dharma—here shown as heeding a legitimate command and moving toward the king—highlighting how duty and social order persist amid the ethical wreckage of war.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Gandhārī, stricken with sorrow for her slain sons, follows her husband Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s instruction and hastens with Kuntī and other women to where the king is, setting the scene for the ensuing encounters and lamentations.