Shloka 313
स्त्रीपर्व — अध्याय १५: गान्धारी-युधिष्ठिर-संवादः
Gandhārī’s Confrontation and Consolation of Yudhiṣṭhira
गान्धारी विगतक्रोधा सान्त्वयामास मातृवत् | उनकी यह अवस्था देख अर्जुन भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण-के पीछे जाकर छिप गये। भारत! उन्हें इस प्रकार इधर-उधर छिपनेकी चेष्टा करते देख गान्धारीका क्रोध उतर गया और उन्होंने उन सबको स्नेहमयी माताके समान सान्त्वना दी
gāndhārī vigatakrodhā sāntvayāmāsa mātṛvat |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Gandhārī, her anger having subsided, comforted them all like a mother—seeing Arjuna slip behind Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa to hide, and noticing their anxious attempts to avoid her gaze, her wrath melted into maternal compassion. The episode underscores how grief and indignation can yield to forgiveness when one recognizes fear, remorse, and the need for consolation after catastrophe.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the wake of unbearable loss, anger need not be the final response; recognizing fear, remorse, and shared suffering can transform wrath into compassionate, maternal consolation—an ethical movement from retribution toward healing.
After the devastation of the war, Gandhārī initially stands in a position of anger and grief. Seeing Arjuna retreat behind Kṛṣṇa and observing the others’ uneasy attempts to avoid her, her anger subsides, and she comforts them like a mother.