Shloka 4
Strī-parva Adhyāya 22 — Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Lament for the Fallen (Āvantya, Bāhlika, Jayadratha, and Duḥśalā)
शयानं वीरशयने शूरमाक्रन्दकारिणम् | आवन्त्यमभितो नार्यो रुदत्य: पर्युपासते,भयानक मारकाट मचानेवाले इस शूरवीर अवन्तीनरेशको वीरशय्यापर सोया हुआ देख उसकी स्त्रियाँ रोती हुई उसे सब ओरसे घेरकर बैठी हैं
śayānaṃ vīraśayane śūram ākrandakāriṇam | āvantyam abhito nāryo rudatyaḥ paryupāsate ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Melihat raja Avanti—pahlawan gagah itu—terbaring di atas ranjang seorang kesatria, menjadi punca ratapan, kaum wanitanya duduk mengelilinginya dari segala arah sambil menangis.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a warrior’s death is framed as honorable (vīraśayana), its ethical weight is measured by the suffering it leaves behind—especially the grief of dependents. The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s insistence that victory in war does not erase the human and moral cost.
Vaiśampāyana describes the Avanti ruler lying on the hero’s bed, while his womenfolk surround him from all sides, sitting in vigil and crying—an image of the immediate aftermath of slaughter and the mourning that follows.