Shloka 7
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
मागधानामधिपतिं जयत्सेनं जनार्दन | आवार्य सर्वतः पत्न्य: प्ररुदत्य: सुविह्दला:,जनार्दन! उधर मगधराज जयत्सेन पड़ा है, जिसे चारों ओरसे घेरकर उसकी पत्नियाँ अत्यन्त व्याकुल हो फूट-फ़ूटकर रो रही हैं
māgadhānām adhipatiṁ jayatsenaṁ janārdana | āvārya sarvataḥ patnyaḥ prarudatyaḥ suvihvalāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O Janārdana, the king Jayatsena, lord of the Magadhas, lay fallen. His wives, surrounding him on every side, were utterly distraught and wept aloud in bitter grief—an image of war’s aftermath, where royal power collapses and the innocent bear the sharpest sorrow.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the human cost of war: even a powerful ruler’s fall culminates in the grief of dependents, especially women left vulnerable. It implicitly critiques triumphalism by foregrounding compassion and the impermanence of worldly sovereignty.
Vaiśampāyana describes a battlefield scene after the slaughter: Jayatsena, the Magadha ruler, lies fallen, while his wives encircle him and cry out in intense distress, lamenting his death.