Shloka 14
स्त्रीपर्व — गान्धारीभीमसेनसंवादः
Strī-parva — Gāndhārī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Wartime Conduct
गान्धायुवाच भगवजन्नाभ्यसूयामि नैतानिच्छामि नश्यत: । पुत्रशोकेन तु बलान्मनो विह्नलतीव मे,गान्धारी बोली-- भगवन! मैं पाण्डवोंके प्रति कोई दुर्भाव नहीं रखती और न इनका विनाश ही चाहती हूँ; परंतु क्या करूँ? पुत्रोंके शोकसे मेरा मन हठात् व्याकुल-सा हो जाता है धर्मज्ञ महात्माओंने गदायुद्धके लिये जिस धर्मका प्रतिपादन किया है, उसे शूरवीर योद्धा रणभूमिमें किसी तरह अपने प्राण बचानेके लिये कैसे त्याग सकते हैं? ।। इति श्रीमहाभारते स्त्रीपर्वणि जलप्रदानिकपर्वणि गान्धारीसान्त्वनायां चतुर्दशो5ध्याय:
gāndhāry uvāca—bhagavan nābhyasūyāmi naitān icchāmi naśyataḥ | putraśokena tu balān mano vihvalatīva me ||
Gāndhārī said: “O revered one, I bear no malice toward the Pāṇḍavas, nor do I wish for their destruction. Yet what can I do? Overpowered by grief for my sons, my mind suddenly becomes as if shaken and confused.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical distinction between intention and emotion: Gāndhārī does not will harm to the Pāṇḍavas, yet grief can forcibly disturb the mind. It portrays how intense sorrow can overwhelm even a person committed to restraint and fairness.
In the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war, Gāndhārī speaks to a revered interlocutor, clarifying that she does not hate the Pāṇḍavas or desire their ruin, but her bereavement for her sons makes her mind involuntarily agitated.