Gāndhārī’s Grief, Vyāsa’s Pacification, and the Ethics of Retaliation (गान्धारी-शोकः शमोपदेशश्च)
इदानीं त्वहमव्यग्रो गतमन्युर्गतज्वर: । मध्यमं पाण्डवं वीर द्रष्टमेच्छामि माधव,“माधव! अब इस समय मैं शान्त हूँ। मेरा क्रोध उतर गया है और चिन्ता भी दूर हो गयी है; अतः मैं मध्यम पाण्डव वीर अर्जुनको देखना चाहता हूँ
idānīṁ tv aham avyagro gatamanyur gatajvaraḥ | madhyamaṁ pāṇḍavaṁ vīra draṣṭum icchāmi mādhava ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Agora estou sereno e sem perturbação. Minha ira se aquietou e passou a febre da minha agitação. Portanto, ó Mādhava, desejo ver o heróico Pāṇḍava do meio — Arjuna.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the ethical necessity of mastering anger and inner agitation before seeking dialogue or encounter. Composure (avyagra) and the cooling of wrath (gata-manyu) are presented as prerequisites for a clear, dharmic intention—here, the wish to meet Arjuna without being driven by rage or turmoil.
In the Stree Parva’s post-war setting, the speaker declares that his earlier anger and distress have subsided and expresses a desire to see the ‘middle Pāṇḍava,’ identified as Arjuna, addressing Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa). This signals a shift from heated emotion toward a deliberate meeting in the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra catastrophe.