Shloka 2
ततो ज्ञात्वा हतामित्र॑ युधिष्ठिरमुपागतम् । गान्धारी पुत्रशोकार्ता शप्तुमैच्छदनिन्दिता,पुत्रशोकसे पीड़ित हुई, गान्धारीको जब यह मालूम हुआ कि युधिष्छिर अपने शत्रुओंका संहार करके मेरे पास आये हैं, तब उन सती-साध्वी देवीने उन्हें शाप देनेकी इच्छा की
tato jñātvā hatāmitraṁ yudhiṣṭhiram upāgatam | gāndhārī putraśokārtā śaptum aicchad aninditā ||
Then, learning that Yudhiṣṭhira had arrived after slaying his foes, Gāndhārī—overwhelmed by grief for her sons—though herself blameless and revered, desired to curse him. The verse frames the moral tension between a mother’s unbearable sorrow and the ethical aftermath of a war fought under claims of righteousness.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when actions are undertaken under the banner of dharma, the human cost of violence persists; grief can drive even the virtuous toward retributive speech (a curse), highlighting the need to reckon ethically with consequences beyond victory.
After the war, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches; Gāndhārī learns he has destroyed his enemies (her sons’ side) and, consumed by sorrow for her sons, she forms the intention to curse him.