Shloka 13
अभिमन्युविलापः (Abhimanyu-vilāpa) — Uttarā’s lament, observed and framed by Gandhārī
व्यायम्य बहुधा नूनं सुखसुप्त: श्रमादिव । एवं विलपतीमार्ता न हि मामभिभाषसे,“निश्चय ही बहुत परिश्रम करके मानो थक जानेके कारण आप सुखकी नींद ले रहे हो। मैं इस तरह आर्त होकर विलाप करती हूँ, किंतु आप मुझसे बोलतेतक नहीं हैं
vyāyamya bahudhā nūnaṃ sukhasuptaḥ śramādiva | evaṃ vilapatīmārtā na hi māmabhibhāṣase ||
“Sesungguhnya engkau telah berjerih payah dalam banyak cara; kini engkau terbaring dalam tidur yang manis, seolah-olah ditundukkan oleh keletihan. Aku meratap dalam sengsara begini, namun engkau tidak menyahut sepatah kata pun.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human cost of war: grief seeks response and recognition, but death (or emotional numbness) answers with silence. Ethically, it underscores compassion as a needed counterweight to violence—when speech and relationship break down, suffering intensifies.
In the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war, a bereaved woman addresses a silent figure—most naturally a dead or unresponsive loved one—saying he seems to be sleeping peacefully after great exertion, while she laments in anguish and receives no reply.