Shloka 29
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
काज्चनाड्ुदवर्माणौ बाणखड््गधनुर्धरी । ऋषभप्रतिरूपाक्षौो शयानौ विमलखस्रजी,इन दोनोंने सोनेके कवच धारण किये हैं, बाण, खड्ग और धनुष लिये हैं तथा बैलके समान बड़ी-बड़ी आँखोंवाले ये दोनों वीर चमकीले हार पहने हुए सो रहे हैं
kāñcanāḍudavarmāṇau bāṇa-khaḍga-dhanur-dharī | ṛṣabha-pratirūpākṣau śayānau vimala-sraji ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Those two heroes, clad in golden mail, bearing arrows, sword, and bow, with great bull-like eyes, lie asleep wearing spotless garlands.” The verse underscores the tragic irony of war: even the well-armed and splendidly adorned are subject to vulnerability and death, and outward martial glory cannot shield one from the moral and human cost that follows violence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of human life and the moral irony of warfare: even those adorned with splendor and protected by armor are rendered helpless. It points toward reflection on the cost of violence and the impermanence of worldly power.
The narrator describes two warriors lying asleep, fully equipped with weapons and wearing golden armor and clean garlands. The description sets a visual scene of martial grandeur juxtaposed with stillness and vulnerability, typical of the sorrowful atmosphere of the Strī Parva.