Shloka 41

गान्धारी-प्रशमनम् — Pacification of Gāndhārī and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel at Hāstinapura

Devanagari script

गान्धार्या: क्रोधदीप्ताया: प्रशमार्थमरिंदम । तब राजा युधिष्ठिरने वहाँ समयोचित कार्यका विचार किया और कहा--'शत्रुदमन माधव! एक बार क्रोधसे जलती हुई गान्धारी देवीको शान्त करनेके लिये आपका हस्तिनापुरमें जाना उचित जान पड़ता है ।। हेतुकारणयुक्तैश्न वाक्यै: कालसमीरितै:

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca — gāndhāryāḥ krodha-dīptāyāḥ praśamārtham ariṃdama | tadā rājā yudhiṣṭhiro ’tra samayocita-kāryaṃ vicārya uvāca— “śatrudamana mādhava! ekavāraṃ krodhena jvalantīṃ gāndhārīṃ devīṃ śāntayituṃ tava hastināpure gamanaṃ yuktam iva pratibhāti” || hetu-kāraṇa-yuktaiś ca vākyaiḥ kāla-samīritaiḥ ||

Translation

അരിന്ദമ മാധവാ! ക്രോധത്തിൽ ജ്വലിക്കുന്ന ഗന്ധാരി ദേവിയെ ശമിപ്പാൻ നിന്റെ ഹസ്തിനാപുരഗമനം യുക്തമാണ്—കാലോചിതമായി കാരണം-ഹേതുക്കളോടുകൂടിയ വചനങ്ങളാൽ ഞാൻ ഇതു പറയുന്നു।

Word by Word

गान्धार्याःof Gandhārī

क्रोधदीप्तायाःinflamed with anger

प्रशमार्थम्for pacification

अरिंदमO subduer of foes

हेतुकारणयुक्तैःwith (words) furnished with reasons and causes

वाक्यैःwith words/speeches

कालसमीरितैःuttered at the proper time

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Gāndhārī

Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa)

Hastināpura

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Timely dharma in governance includes de-escalation: when grief and anger threaten further harm, a wise leader seeks pacification through reasoned counsel and the right mediator, rather than force or pride.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the war, Gāndhārī is consumed by anger and grief. Yudhiṣṭhira judges that the situation requires immediate, appropriate action and urges Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava) to go to Hastināpura to calm her with well-reasoned, time-suited words.