Shloka 1
Strī-parva Adhyāya 22 — Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Lament for the Fallen (Āvantya, Bāhlika, Jayadratha, and Duḥśalā)
गान्धारी बोलीं--भीमसेनने जिसे मार गिराया था, वह शूरवीर अवन्तीनरेश बहुतेरे बन्धु-बान्धवोंसे सम्पन्न था; परंतु आज उसे बन्धुहीनकी भाँति गीध और गीदड़ नोच- नोचकर खा रहे हैं,मतवाले हाथीके समान उस परम दुर्जय वीरको सब ओरसे घेरकर ये चन्द्रमुखी रमणियाँ रो रही हैं ।। इति श्रीमहाभारते स्त्रीपर्वणि स्त्रीविलापपर्वणि गान्धारीवाक्ये द्वाविंशो5ध्याय: ।। २२ || इस प्रकार श्रीमह्मा भारत स्त्रीपर्वके अन्तर्गत स्त्रीविलापपर्वमें गान्धारीका वाक्यविषयक बाईसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ २२ ॥। ऑपन- मा बक। अर त्रयोविशो<् ध्याय: शल्य, भगदत्त, भीष्म और द्रोणको देखकर श्रीकृष्णके सम्मुख गान्धारीका विलाप गान्धायुवाच एष शल्यो हत: शेते साक्षान्रकुलमातुल: । धर्मज्ञेन हतस्तात धर्मराजेन संयुगे
gāndhārī uvāca—bhīmasenena yaḥ pātitaḥ sa śūravīro ’vantīnareśaḥ bahubandhubāndhava-sampanna āsīt; kintu adya sa bandhu-hīna iva gṛdhra-śṛgālaiḥ nocya nocya bhakṣyate. mattavāraṇa-sadṛśaṃ taṃ paramadurjayaṃ vīraṃ sarvataḥ parivārya imāś candramukhyo ramaṇyo rudanti.
Gāndhārī said: “That heroic king of Avanti, whom Bhīmasena struck down, once had many kinsmen and allies. Yet today he lies as though bereft of family—vultures and jackals tear at him and devour him. Like a maddened elephant, that most unconquerable warrior is now surrounded on every side, while these moon-faced women weep around him.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical cost of war: even the mighty and well-supported become helpless corpses, exposed to scavengers, while families suffer. It highlights impermanence (kṣaya) and the human grief that follows martial glory, pressing the listener to weigh victory against the suffering it produces.
In the Strīparvan’s lament section, Gāndhārī points out a fallen hero—the king of Avanti—killed by Bhīma. She contrasts his former strength and social support with his present abandonment on the battlefield, as women encircle the body and cry.