Shloka 7
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानम् — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Departure for Forest Life
सा च देवी महाभागा गान्धारी हतबान्धवा । पतिमन्धं कथं वृद्धमन्वेति विजने वने,“जिनके बन्धु-बान्धव मारे गये हैं, वे महाभागा गान्धारी देवी, उस निर्जन वनमें अपने अन्धे और बूढ़े पतिका अनुसरण कैसे करती होंगी?
sā ca devī mahābhāgā gāndhārī hatabāndhavā | patim andhaṃ kathaṃ vṛddham anv eti vijane vane ||
Dan bagaimanakah permaisuri Gāndhārī yang mulia itu—yang telah kehilangan sanak saudara—mampu mengikuti suaminya yang buta dan uzur ke dalam rimba yang sunyi sepi?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid overwhelming loss, dharma can express itself as steadfastness and shared responsibility: Gāndhārī does not abandon her blind, aged husband but participates in his forest life, embodying endurance, loyalty, and renunciatory resolve after the war’s devastation.
Vaiśampāyana draws attention to the poignancy of Gāndhārī’s situation—her relatives have been killed—yet she accompanies Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who is blind and old, into a deserted forest, underscoring the harsh transition from royal life to ascetic withdrawal.