Shloka 4
अभिमन्युविलापः (Abhimanyu-vilāpa) — Uttarā’s lament, observed and framed by Gandhārī
एषा विराटदुहिता स्नुषा गाण्डीवधन्चन: । आर्ता बालं पतिं वीर दृष्टवा शोचत्यनिन्दिता,यह राजा विराटकी पुत्री और गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुनकी पुत्रवधू सती-साध्वी उत्तरा अपने बालक पति वीर अभिमन्युको मरा देख आर्त होकर शोक प्रकट कर रही है
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
eṣā virāṭa-duhitā snuṣā gāṇḍīva-dhanvanaḥ |
ārtā bālaṁ patiṁ vīra dṛṣṭvā śocaty aninditā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “This is Uttarā, the daughter of King Virāṭa and the daughter-in-law of Arjuna, the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva. Blameless and virtuous, she is stricken with grief; seeing her youthful husband, the hero Abhimanyu, slain, she laments in anguish.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the human cost of war: even in a dharma-yuddha, the aftermath is marked by innocent suffering. By calling Uttarā “aninditā” (blameless), the text highlights that grief falls upon the virtuous as well, inviting ethical reflection on violence, duty, and compassion for those left behind.
Vaiśampāyana identifies the grieving woman as Uttarā—Virāṭa’s daughter and Arjuna’s daughter-in-law—who, upon seeing her young husband Abhimanyu dead, mourns in distress.