Shloka 4
स्त्रीपर्व — गान्धारीविलापः
Strī Parva — Gāndhārī’s Lament over the Fallen
अस्य भार्या5<मिषप्रेप्सून् गृध्रकाकांस्तपस्विनी । वारयत्यनिशं बाला न च शकनोति माधव,माधव! उसकी तपस्विनी पत्नी जो अभी बालिका है, मांसलोलुप गीधों और कौओंको हटानेकी निरन्तर चेष्टा करती है; परंतु सफल नहीं हो पाती है
asya bhāryā māṁsa-prepsūn gṛdhra-kākāṁs tapasvinī | vārayaty aniśaṁ bālā na ca śaknoti mādhava mādhava ||
His wife—an ascetic woman, still only a young girl—keeps trying without pause to drive away the flesh-seeking vultures and crows; yet, O Mādhava, she is unable to succeed. The scene underscores the helplessness of the innocent amid the aftermath of violence and the grim persistence of death’s consequences after war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one is virtuous and vigilant, the consequences of adharma and mass violence can overwhelm individual effort. The verse evokes compassion and ethical reflection on war’s lingering harm, especially to the innocent.
Vaiśampāyana describes a young ascetic wife trying continuously to ward off vultures and crows that seek flesh, but she cannot. The image belongs to the Stree Parva’s portrayal of the battlefield’s horrors and the women’s grief after the war.