Shloka 23
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
वितुद्यमानं विहगैस्तं भार्या: पर्युपासिता: । चेदिराजं हृषीकेश हतं सबलबान्धवम्,हृषीकेश! सेना और बन्धुओंसहित मारे गये इस चेदिराजको पक्षी चोंच मार रहे हैं और उसकी स्त्रियाँ उसे चारों ओरसे घेरकर बैठी हैं
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
vitudyamānaṃ vihagais taṃ bhāryāḥ paryupāsitāḥ |
cedirājaṃ hṛṣīkeśa hataṃ sabalabāndhavam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As birds pecked at him, his wives sat all around. O Hṛṣīkeśa, the king of Cedi lay slain—together with his army and his kinsmen—while his women kept vigil in grief. The scene underscores the pitiless aftermath of war: even royal power ends in vulnerability, and the burden of loss falls most heavily upon the innocent survivors.
वैशम्पायन उवाच