Shloka 12
Strī-parva Adhyāya 22 — Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Lament for the Fallen (Āvantya, Bāhlika, Jayadratha, and Duḥśalā)
यदा कृष्णामुपादाय प्राद्रवत् केकयै: सह । तदैव वध्य: पाण्डूनां जनार्दन जयद्रथ:,जनार्दन! जिस दिन जयद्रथ द्रौपदीको हरकर केकयोंके साथ भागा था, उसी दिन यह पाण्डवोंके द्वारा वध्य हो गया था; परंतु उस समय दुःशलाका सम्मान करते हुए उन्होंने जयद्रथको जीवित छोड़ दिया था! श्रीकृष्ण! उन्हीं पाण्डवोंने आज फिर क्यों नहीं उसका सम्मान किया?
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
yadā kṛṣṇām upādāya prādravat kekayaiḥ saha |
tadaiva vadhyaḥ pāṇḍūnāṃ janārdana jayadrathaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Janārdana, pada hari Jayadratha merampas Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) lalu melarikan diri bersama orang Kekaya, pada hari itulah dia sudah layak dibunuh oleh para Pāṇḍava. Namun demi menghormati maruah Duḥśalā, mereka menyelamatkan nyawanya ketika itu. Mengapa hari ini, wahai Kṛṣṇa, para Pāṇḍava yang sama tidak lagi memuliakan pertimbangan itu?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic tension: a wrongdoer may be ‘vadhya’ (deserving death) by justice, yet social and relational obligations—here, respect for Duḥśalā’s honor—can restrain immediate punishment. It raises the ethical question of when compassion or family honor should limit retribution, and when repeated wrongdoing removes the grounds for mercy.
The speaker recalls an earlier incident when Jayadratha abducted Draupadī and fled with allies (the Kekayas). Although the Pāṇḍavas had the right to kill him then, they spared him to avoid dishonoring Duḥśalā. Now, after later events culminating in renewed hostility, the question is posed to Kṛṣṇa: why was that earlier consideration not extended again ‘today’?