Shloka 58
आयोधनदर्शनम्
Viewing the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
यूथानीव किशोरीणां सुकेशीनां जनार्दन । स््नुषाणां धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्य वृन्दान्यनेकश:,“जनार्दन! देखो, महाराज धृतराष्ट्रकी सुन्दर केशोंवाली पुत्रवधुओंकी ये कई टोलियाँ बछेड़ियोंके झुंडके समान दिखायी दे रही हैं
yūthānīva kiśorīṇāṃ sukeśīnāṃ janārdana | snuṣāṇāṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya paśya vṛndāny anekaśaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai Janārdana, lihatlah—sekian banyak kelompok menantu perempuan Dhṛtarāṣṭra, berambut indah, tampak bagaikan kawanan anak lembu betina muda.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the human cost of war: even royal households are reduced to vulnerable, bewildered groups of women. The simile of young heifers evokes innocence and helplessness, ethically pressing the listener to recognize suffering beyond victory and defeat.
Vaiśaṃpāyana directs Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana) to observe the many clusters of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s daughters-in-law. In the Stree Parva’s mourning landscape, the women are seen moving in groups, their appearance compared to herds of young cattle—an image of disorientation and collective grief after the war.