Shloka 24
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
दाशार्हपुत्र॒जं वीरं शयानं सत्यविक्रमम् | आरोप्याड्के रुदन्त्येताश्वेदिराजवराड़ना:
dāśārhaputrajaṃ vīraṃ śayānaṃ satyavikramam | āropya aṅke rudanty etāḥ śvedirājavarāṅganāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: The noble women of the Śvedi king, lifting the heroic son of the Dāśārhas—who lay fallen, his valour proven true—placed him upon their laps and wept. The scene underscores the human cost of war: even the truly brave become objects of lament, and the victors and vanquished alike are bound to grief and duty toward the dead.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even authentic heroism cannot prevent the suffering that war brings; the verse highlights compassion and the moral weight of caring for the fallen, reminding the listener that dharma includes honoring the dead and acknowledging the grief of survivors.
In the aftermath of the great war, the Śvedi king’s noble women find a fallen warrior described as a Dāśārha’s son; they lift him onto their laps and weep over him, portraying the intimate, human dimension of battlefield loss.