Shloka 10
Gandhārī’s Lament for Bhūriśravas and Śakuni
Book 11, Chapter 24
दिष्ट्या तत् काज्चनं छत्र॑ यूपकेतोर्महात्मन: । विनिकीर्ण रथोपस्थे सौमदत्तेन पश्यसि,'सौभाग्यसे अपने महामनस्वी पुत्र यूपध्वज भूरिश्रवाके रथपर खण्डित होकर गिरे हुए उसके सुवर्णमय छत्रको आप नहीं देख पा रहे हैं!
diṣṭyā tat kāñcanaṃ chatraṃ yūpaketor mahātmanaḥ | vinikīrṇaṃ rathopasthe saumadattena paśyasi |
Vaiśampāyana said: “It is fortunate indeed that you are able to see that golden parasol of the noble Yūpaketu—scattered and cast down upon the chariot-seat by Saumadatta. The fallen royal emblem makes visible the ruin brought by pride and violence in war, and it marks how even the signs of sovereignty are reduced to fragments when dharma is eclipsed by slaughter.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a fallen royal parasol—an emblem of honor and sovereignty—to underscore the fragility of worldly status in war. Ethical reflection arises from seeing how violence reduces even revered symbols to debris, prompting contemplation on dharma, restraint, and the cost of conflict.
Vaiśampāyana points out a specific battlefield sight: the golden parasol associated with the noble Yūpaketu lies scattered on the chariot-seat, having been cast down by Saumadatta. The image functions as a concrete sign of defeat and death amid the lamentations of the Strī Parva context.