Shloka 59
आयोधनदर्शनम्
Viewing the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
इतो दुःखतरं कि नु केशव प्रतिभाति मे । यदिमा: कुर्वते सर्वा रवमुच्चावचं स्त्रिय:,“केशव! मेरे लिये इससे बढ़कर महान् दुःख और क्या होगा कि ये सारी बहुएँ यहाँ आकर अनेक प्रकारसे आर्तनाद कर रही हैं
ito duḥkhataraṃ ki nu keśava pratibhāti me | yad imāḥ kurvate sarvā ravam uccāvacam striyaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai Keśava, dukacita apakah yang lebih menghancurkan daripada ini pada pandanganku—bahawa semua wanita ini, berhimpun di sini, mengangkat ratapan dengan pelbagai nada?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that the gravest consequence of adharma and war is not merely death on the battlefield but the enduring, communal suffering it leaves behind—especially the anguished lament of women who must live with irreversible loss. It invites ethical reflection on the human cost of conflict.
In the Strī Parva’s mourning scenes after the Kurukṣetra war, the women of the Kuru families gather and cry out in varied, piercing laments. Addressing Kṛṣṇa as Keśava, the speaker expresses that nothing feels more painful than hearing and witnessing this collective wailing.