Shloka 5
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
आततपे क्लाम्यमानानां विविधानामिव स््रजाम् । क्लान्तानामपि नारीणां श्रीर्जहाति न वै तनू:,श्रीकृष्ण! अपने जीवनबन्धुके मारे जानेसे अनाथ हुई यह रानी काँपती हुई मधुर स्वरसे विलाप कर रही है। घामसे मुरझाती हुई नाना प्रकारकी पुष्पमालाओंके समान ये राज-रानियाँ धूपसे तप गयीं हैं, तो भी इनके शरीरोंको सौन्दर्य--श्री छोड़ नहीं रही है
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: ātatape klāmyamānānāṃ vividhānām iva srajām | klāntānām api nārīṇāṃ śrīr jahāti na vai tanūḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Like garlands of many kinds of flowers that droop and wither under the heat, the women were being scorched and exhausted; yet even in their weariness, beauty and royal radiance did not truly abandon their bodies. The scene underscores the cruel aftermath of war: bereavement and physical suffering do not erase innate dignity, and the survivors—especially the widowed queens—remain worthy of reverence rather than neglect.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid extreme suffering and exhaustion after war, the survivors retain inherent dignity and auspicious radiance (śrī). The verse invites ethical regard and compassion toward bereaved women rather than viewing them as diminished by tragedy.
In Strīparva’s lamentation scenes, the women—especially royal women—are described as scorched by heat and worn out, compared to flower garlands wilting in the sun; yet their beauty and royal splendor remain, highlighting the poignancy of their grief in the war’s aftermath.