Shloka 30
अंगुल्यग्राणि ददृशे देवी पट्टान्तरेण सा । ततः स कुनखी भूतो दर्शनीयनखो नृप:,राजा युधिष्ठिर शरीरको झुकाकर गान्धारीके चरणोंपर गिर जाना चाहते थे। इतनेहीमें धर्मको जाननेवाली दूर-दर्शिनी देवी गान्धारीने पट्टीके भीतरसे ही राजा युधिष्ठिरके पैरोंकी अंगुलियोंके अग्रभाग देख लिये। इतनेहीसे राजाके नख काले पड़ गये। इसके पहले उनके नख बड़े ही सुन्दर और दर्शनीय थे
aṅgulyagrāṇi dadṛśe devī paṭṭāntareṇa sā | tataḥ sa kunakhī bhūto darśanīyanakho nṛpaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Pela fresta dentro de sua venda, a rainha avistou as pontas dos dedos dos pés dele. Naquele mesmo instante, o rei—cujas unhas antes eram belas e agradáveis de ver—tornou-se como alguém de unhas descoloridas, escurecidas e manchadas. A cena ressalta que até um olhar contido e involuntário de Gāndhārī, conhecedora do dharma, carrega força moral: o impulso de Yudhiṣṭhira de se curvar a seus pés encontra o poder residual do luto e da austeridade justa após a guerra.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that dharma and inner austerity have palpable force: after catastrophic war, Gāndhārī’s restrained yet potent perception becomes a vehicle for consequence, reminding that moral suffering and righteous grief can manifest as immediate effects, even upon a well-intentioned act of reverence.
Yudhiṣṭhira, bending to fall at Gāndhārī’s feet, comes within her range. Though blindfolded, she sees the tips of his toes through a gap in the cloth; instantly his previously beautiful nails become discolored/blemished, foreshadowing the larger episode of Gāndhārī’s charged gaze in the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war.