Shloka 7

Strī-parva Adhyāya 22 — Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Lament for the Fallen (Āvantya, Bāhlika, Jayadratha, and Duḥśalā)

Devanagari script

पुत्रशोकाभिततप्तेन प्रतिज्ञां चाभिरक्षता । पाकशासनिना संख्ये वार्थक्षत्रि्निपातित:

Transliteration

putraśokābhitatptena pratijñāṁ cābhirakṣatā | pākaśāsaninā saṅkhye vārthakṣatrinipātitaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: Terbakar oleh dukacita atas puteranya dan bertekad memelihara sumpahnya, dia ditumbangkan di tengah gelanggang perang oleh Pākaśāsana (Indra).

Word by Word

पुत्रशोकाभिततप्तेनby one tormented by grief for (his) son

प्रतिज्ञाम्a vow, promise

चand

अभिरक्षता(he) protects/keeps (it)

पाकशासनिनाby Indra (the chastiser of Pāka)

संख्येin battle

वार्थक्षत्रिन्Vārthakṣatrin (proper name)

निपातितःwas struck down, was felled

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Indra (Pākaśāsana)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension between personal emotion (grief) and adherence to a vow: when sorrow hardens into uncompromising resolve, it can propel one toward destructive choices, and even heroic determination may be overruled by destiny and divine power.

What is happening in the narrative?

A warrior, anguished by the loss of his son yet determined to uphold his pledge, enters battle and is ultimately struck down by Indra (Pākaśāsana), indicating a climactic defeat shaped by both human resolve and divine agency.