Shloka 1
Duryodhana’s Post-Duel Lament and Instructions (भग्नसक्थस्य विलापः)
त्रेषष्टितमो<् ध्याय: युधिष्ठिरकी प्रेरणासे श्रीकृष्णका हस्तिनापुरमें जाकर धृतराष्ट्र और गान्धारीको आश्वासन दे पुनः पाण्डवोंके पास लौट आना जनमेजय उवाच किमर्थ द्विजशार्दूल धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिर: । गान्धार्या: प्रेषयामास वासुदेव॑ परंतपम्,जनमेजयने पूछा-<द्विजश्रेष्ठ! धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरने शत्रुसंतापी भगवान् श्रीकृष्णको गान्धारी देवीके पास किसलिये भेजा?
Janamejaya uvāca: kimarthaṃ dvijaśārdūla dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | gāndhāryāḥ preṣayāmāsa vāsudevaṃ parantapam ||
Janamejaya berkata: “Atas tujuan apakah, wahai harimau di kalangan dwija, Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira mengutus Vāsudeva—penghangus musuh—kepada Permaisuri Gāndhārī?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic concern: even after victory, righteous leadership seeks reconciliation and moral repair. Sending Kṛṣṇa to Gāndhārī implies sensitivity to grief, the need to offer assurance, and the ethical duty to address the suffering caused by war.
Janamejaya asks the sage why Yudhiṣṭhira dispatched Kṛṣṇa to meet Gāndhārī. This introduces an episode in the war’s aftermath where the victors must engage with the bereaved elders and queens, managing anger, sorrow, and the fragile restoration of order.