Shloka 10
Gāndhārī’s Lament and the Identification of Duḥśāsana (स्त्रीपर्व, अध्याय १८)
अन्यां चापह्तं कायाच्चारुकुण्डलमुन्नसम् | स्वस्थ बन्धो: शिर: कृष्ण गृहीत्वा पश्य तिष्ठतीम्,श्रीकृष्ण! देखो, वह दूसरी स्त्री किसी आत्मीय जनके मनोहर कुण्डलोंसे सुशोभित और ऊँची नासिकावाले कटे हुए मस्तकको लेकर खड़ी है
anyāṁ cāpahṛtaṁ kāyāc cārukuṇḍalam unnasaṁ | sva-stha-bandhoḥ śiraḥ kṛṣṇa gṛhītvā paśya tiṣṭhatīm ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Dan lihatlah pula seorang wanita lain berdiri di sana, wahai Kṛṣṇa, sambil memegang kepala yang telah dipenggal dari tubuhnya—dihiasi subang yang elok dan bertanda hidung yang tinggi lagi seimbang—kepunyaan salah seorang kerabatnya sendiri. Pemandangan ini menyingkap keruntuhan moral akibat perang: bahkan ikatan keluarga pun menjadi tanda dukacita, dan keganasan medan laga mengejar yang hidup hingga ke dalam ratapan mereka.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical cost of war: victory cannot erase the suffering inflicted on families. By showing a woman holding the severed head of her own kin, the narrative confronts the listener with the dehumanizing consequences of violence and implicitly calls for compassion, restraint, and sober reflection on dharma in conflict.
In the Strī-parvan’s lamentation scenes after the Kurukṣetra war, Vaiśampāyana points out to Kṛṣṇa another grieving woman. She stands holding a head cut from a body—recognizable by its ornaments and features—belonging to someone close to her, illustrating the immediacy and horror of the battlefield’s aftermath.