Shloka 10
स्त्रीपर्व — गान्धारीविलापः
Strī Parva — Gāndhārī’s Lament over the Fallen
यस्याहवमुखे सौम्य स्थाता नैवोपपद्यते । स कथं दुर्मुखोमित्रैहतो विबुधलोकजित्,सौम्य! युद्धके मुहानेपर जिसके सामने कोई ठहर नहीं पाता था, उस देवलोकविजयी दुर्मुखको शत्रुओंने कैसे मार डाला?
yasya āhava-mukhe saumya sthātā naiva upapadyate | sa kathaṁ durmukho mitraiḥ hataḥ vibudha-loka-jit, saumya |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai yang lemah lembut, di hadapan barisan hadapan perang tiada siapa mampu berdiri menentangnya. Maka bagaimana Durmukha—yang pernah menakluk alam para dewa—dibunuh musuh di mulut pertempuran itu?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most formidable warrior and celebrated conqueror is not beyond reversal in war; prowess and past victories do not guarantee survival. The verse underscores the fragility of worldly glory and the unsettling power of fate and circumstance—an ethical reminder against pride and overconfidence.
In the Stree Parva’s lamentation context after the great war, Vaiśampāyana reports a speaker’s astonishment: Durmukha, once unbeatable at the battle-front and famed as a ‘conqueror of the gods’ realm, has nevertheless been killed by enemies. The line conveys shock and grief at the fall of a renowned Kaurava fighter.