Shloka 61
आयोधनदर्शनम्
Viewing the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
एवमार्ता विलपती समाभाष्य जनार्दनम् | गान्धारी पुत्रशोकार्ता ददर्श निहतं सुतम्,भगवान् श्रीकृष्णको सम्बोधित करके पुत्रशोकसे व्याकुल हो इस प्रकार आर्तविलाप करती हुई गान्धारीने युद्धमें मारे गये अपने पुत्र दुर्योधनको देखा
evamārtā vilapatī samābhāṣya janārdanam | gāndhārī putraśokārtā dadarśa nihataṃ sutam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Thus, overwhelmed with anguish and lamenting aloud after addressing Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa), Gāndhārī—tormented by grief for her sons—beheld her son lying slain. The scene underscores the moral aftermath of war: even royal power and kinship culminate in irreversible loss when adharma and wrath are allowed to govern action.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical consequence of war: victory and lineage cannot shield anyone from the sorrow produced by violence and adharma. Grief becomes the final witness to choices made, reminding the listener that actions driven by pride and hostility culminate in suffering for families and society.
After speaking to Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana), Gāndhārī—overcome with lamentation—looks upon her son Duryodhana lying dead on the battlefield, marking a poignant moment in the Strī Parva where the women confront the devastation left by the Kurukṣetra war.