Shloka 516
Duryodhana’s Post-Duel Lament and Instructions (भग्नसक्थस्य विलापः)
गान्धार्यास्तव वै नाथ पाण्डवेषु प्रतिष्ठितम् अब तो आपका कुल और वंश पाण्डवोंसे ही चलनेवाला है। नाथ! आपको और गान्धारी देवीको पिण्डा-पानी तथा पुत्रसे प्राप्त होनेवाला सारा फल पाण्डवोंसे ही मिलनेवाला है। उन्हींपर यह सब कुछ अवलम्बित है
gāndhāryāstava vai nātha pāṇḍaveṣu pratiṣṭhitam | adya te kula-vaṁśaśca pāṇḍavair eva vartsyati | nātha tvayā ca gāndhāryā piṇḍodaka-kṛtaṁ phalam | putra-prāptaṁ ca yat sarvaṁ pāṇḍavebhya eva lapsyate | teṣv eva hy etad āśritam ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai tuanku, kedudukanmu kini berasaskan para Pāṇḍava. Mulai hari ini, keluarga dan salasilahmu akan berterusan hanya melalui mereka. Wahai junjungan, segala pahala yang engkau dan Permaisuri Gāndhārī akan peroleh—melalui persembahan pinda dan air, serta berkat yang datang daripada memiliki putera—kini akan didapatkan daripada para Pāṇḍava semata-mata. Pada merekalah semuanya bergantung.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that dynastic continuity and the religious-ethical benefits tied to descendants (such as śrāddha offerings of piṇḍa and udaka) depend on surviving righteous heirs; after the war’s devastation, the responsibility for sustaining the elders’ posthumous rites and the family line rests with the Pāṇḍavas.
Vaiśampāyana explains that, with the Kuru line shattered by the war, the remaining hope for the continuation of the family and for the performance of ancestral rites for the elders (including Gāndhārī and her lord) lies with the Pāṇḍavas, who alone can uphold these obligations.