Shloka 58
Duryodhana’s Post-Duel Lament and Instructions (भग्नसक्थस्य विलापः)
एवमुक््त्वा महाराज धृतराष्ट्रं यदूत्तम:,उवाच परम॑ वाक््यं गान्धारीं शोककर्शिताम् | महाराज! यदश्रेष्ट श्रीकृष्ण राजा धृतराष्ट्रसे ऐसा कहकर शोकसे दुर्बल हुई गान्धारी देवीसे यह उत्तम वचन बोले--
evam uktvā mahārāja dhṛtarāṣṭraṁ yadūttamaḥ | uvāca paramaṁ vākyaṁ gāndhārīṁ śokakarśitām ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Setelah berkata demikian, wahai Maharaja, yang terbaik daripada kaum Yadu (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) menegur Raja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, lalu menyampaikan kata-kata yang amat berat dan wajar kepada Gāndhārī yang dilemahkan oleh dukacita.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Kṛṣṇa’s forthcoming counsel as “parama vākya”—a morally weighty speech—delivered in a context of overwhelming grief. It signals that ethical guidance and dharmic reflection are especially necessary after catastrophic loss, when rulers and elders must confront consequences with clarity rather than despair.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana reports that Kṛṣṇa, after addressing King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, turns to Gāndhārī—devastated by sorrow—and begins to speak an important statement to her. This sets up a consolatory and corrective dialogue in the war’s aftermath.