Shloka 39
Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Survey: The Fallen and the Onset of Funeral Rites (शल्य-भगीरथ-भीष्म-द्रोणादि-दर्शनम्)
कुर्वन्ति च चितामेते जटिला ब्रह्म॒चारिण: । भनुर्भि: शक्तिभिश्वैव रथनीडैश्व माधव
kurvanti ca citām ete jaṭilā brahmacāriṇaḥ | dhanurbhiḥ śaktibhiś caiva rathanīḍaiś ca mādhava ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “These ascetic, matted-haired brahmacārins are also preparing the funeral pyre—equipped with bows, with spears, and even with chariots, O Mādhava.” The line underscores how, in the aftermath of war, even those devoted to restraint and religious discipline are drawn into the grim duties of death-rites, and how the instruments of battle remain present amid acts meant to restore order and dignity to the fallen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even those committed to ascetic restraint and religious discipline must sometimes engage with harsh realities to uphold dharma—here, ensuring proper rites for the dead. The verse highlights the ethical necessity of restoring dignity and order after violence, while also showing how war’s instruments linger even in ritual contexts.
Vaiśampāyana describes groups of matted-haired brahmacārins preparing funeral pyres in the war’s aftermath. They are depicted as carrying weapons and associated with chariot arrangements, suggesting the scale, danger, or organized nature of the scene as cremation duties proceed amid a still-militarized environment.