Shloka 8
अभिमन्युविलापः (Abhimanyu-vilāpa) — Uttarā’s lament, observed and framed by Gandhārī
तस्य क्षतजसंदिग्ध॑ जातरूपपरिष्कृतम् । विमुच्य कवचं कृष्ण शरीरमभिवीक्षते,श्रीकृष्ण! अभिमन्युका सुवर्णभूषित कवच खूनसे रँग गया है। बालिका उत्तरा उस कवचको खोलकर पतिके शरीरको देख रही है
tasya kṣataja-saṃdigdhaṃ jātarūpa-pariṣkṛtam | vimucya kavacaṃ kṛṣṇā śarīram abhivīkṣate ||
Vaiśampāyana said: His golden, well-wrought armour had been stained with blood. Having unfastened and removed that cuirass, Kṛṣṇā (Uttarā) looked upon her husband’s body—an image of the human cost of war and the stark aftermath that follows even a righteous victory.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: even when fought under claims of dharma, its outcome is marked by blood, loss, and intimate suffering borne by families—inviting reflection on responsibility, compassion, and the true cost of violence.
Abhimanyu’s blood-stained golden armour is removed, and his wife Uttarā (called Kṛṣṇā here) looks upon his body, confronting the immediate aftermath of his death.