Shloka 30
अभिमन्युविलापः (Abhimanyu-vilāpa) — Uttarā’s lament, observed and framed by Gandhārī
उत्तरामपकृष्यैनामार्तामार्ततरा: स्वयम् । विराट निहतं दृष्टवा क्रोशन्ति विलपन्ति च,शोकसे आतुर हुई उत्तराको खींचकर अत्यन्त आर्त हुई वे स्त्रियाँ राजा विराटको मारा गया देख स्वयं भी चीखने और विलाप करने लगी हैं
uttarām apakṛṣyainām ārtām ārtatarāḥ svayam | virāṭaṁ nihataṁ dṛṣṭvā krośanti vilapanti ca ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Drawing Uttará aside, she herself stricken with grief, the women—now even more distressed—beheld King Virāṭa slain; and, overwhelmed by sorrow, they began to cry out aloud and lament. The scene underscores the human cost of war: even royal households, bound by duty and alliance, are shattered by loss, and grief becomes a communal, unavoidable consequence of violence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and human aftermath of warfare: beyond victory and duty, death brings unavoidable suffering to families and communities, calling attention to compassion and the tragic cost of violence.
In the Strī Parva’s mourning scenes, the women, after drawing Uttará aside in her distress, see King Virāṭa killed and break into loud cries and lamentation.