Shloka 5

अभिमन्युविलापः (Abhimanyu-vilāpa) — Uttarā’s lament, observed and framed by Gandhārī

Devanagari script

तमेषा हि समागम्य भार्या भर्तारमन्तिके । विराटदुहिता कृष्ण पाणिना परिमार्जति,श्रीकृष्ण! यह विराटकी पुत्री और अभिमन्युकी पत्नी उत्तरा अपने पतिके निकट जा उसके शरीरपर हाथ फेर रही है

Transliteration

tam eṣā hi samāgamya bhāryā bhartāram antike | virāṭaduhitā kṛṣṇā pāṇinā parimārjati ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Having come near her husband, this wife—Kṛṣṇā, the daughter of Virāṭa—gently strokes his body with her hand.” The scene underscores the intimate duty of a spouse in the midst of catastrophe: even after the devastation of war, care, loyalty, and tender service remain a quiet form of dharma.

Word by Word

ताम्her

एषाthis (woman)

हिindeed/for

समागम्यhaving approached/coming near

भार्याwife

भर्तारम्husband

अन्तिकेnear/at the side (of)

विराट-दुहिताVirāṭa's daughter

कृष्णेO Kṛṣṇa

पाणिनाwith (her) hand

परिमार्जतिshe strokes/wipes

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Uttarā (Virāṭa's daughter; referred to as Kṛṣṇā here)

Virāṭa

Abhimanyu (implied as her husband by context)

Uttarā's husband (bhartā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid the ruin left by war, dharma can appear as quiet, personal responsibility—tender care for one’s spouse, steadfast loyalty, and compassion in suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Uttarā, identified as Virāṭa’s daughter (and called Kṛṣṇā in the verse), approaches her husband closely and gently touches/strokes his body with her hand, expressing intimate care in a moment of tragedy.