Shloka 12
आयोधनदर्शनम्
Viewing the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
क्रव्यादैर्भक्ष्यमाणान् वै गोमायुबलवायसै: । भूतै: पिशाचै रक्षोभिविविधैश्वष निशाचरै:,कुरुक्षेत्रमें पहुँचकर उन अनाथ स्त्रियोंने वहाँ मारे गये अपने पुत्रों, भाइयों, पिताओं तथा पतियोंके शरीरोंको देखा, जिन्हें मांसभक्षी जीव-जन्तु, गीदड़समूह, कौए, भूत, पिशाच, राक्षस और नाना प्रकारके निशाचर नोच-नोचकर खा रहे थे
kravyādair bhakṣyamāṇān vai gomāyu-balavāyasaiḥ | bhūtaiḥ piśācai rakṣobhir vividhaiś ca niśācaraiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: On the field of Kurukṣetra, those bereft women beheld the bodies of their sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands who had been slain there—now being torn apart and devoured by flesh-eating creatures: packs of jackals, crows, and various night-roaming beings such as bhūtas, piśācas, and rākṣasas. The scene lays bare the moral aftermath of war: beyond victory and defeat, violence culminates in the stripping away of human dignity and the deepening of grief for those left without protection.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical cost of war: the suffering of innocents and the loss of human dignity after violence. It implicitly critiques triumphalism by showing that the consequences of adharma in conflict fall heavily on the bereaved, especially unprotected women.
As Vaiśampāyana narrates, the bereft women arrive at Kurukṣetra and see the slain bodies of their relatives being torn and eaten by scavengers and fearsome night-roaming beings (bhūtas, piśācas, rākṣasas). This intensifies the atmosphere of mourning in the Strī Parva.