Shloka 8
Gandhārī’s Lament for Bhūriśravas and Śakuni
Book 11, Chapter 24
श्वापदैर्भक्ष्यममाणं त्वमहो दिष्ट्या न पश्यसि । छिन्नबाहुं नरव्याप्रमर्जुनेन निपातितम्,“अहो! आपका बड़ा भाग्य है कि अर्जुनने जिसकी एक बाँह काट ली थी और सात्यकिने जिसे मार गिराया था, युद्धमें मारे गये उस भूरिश्रवा और शलको आप हिंसक जन्तुओंका आहार बनते नहीं देखते हैं तथा इन सब अनेक प्रकारके रूप-रंगवाली पुत्रवधुओंको भी आज यहाँ रणभूमिमें भटकती हुई नहीं देख रहे हैं
śvāpadair bhakṣyamamāṇaṃ tvam aho diṣṭyā na paśyasi | chinnabāhuṃ naravyāghram arjunena nipātitam ||
Ah! Grande é a tua fortuna: não precisas ver as feras devorarem aquele que foi um tigre entre os homens, a quem cortaram um braço e que Arjuna abateu. O verso ressalta o horror moral da guerra: até os poderosos, uma vez caídos, tornam-se corpos indefesos num campo onde a dignidade é arrancada; e os vivos só são poupados por não terem de ver tamanha degradação.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dehumanizing aftermath of war: heroic identity and bodily integrity collapse into vulnerability, and ‘good fortune’ may simply mean being spared the sight of such suffering. It implicitly critiques the cost of violence beyond victory—dishonor, decay, and the moral shock borne by survivors.
Vaiśampāyana describes a fallen warrior—his arm severed and himself brought down by Arjuna—who would otherwise lie on the battlefield as prey for scavengers. The statement is framed as a grim consolation: the listener is ‘fortunate’ not to witness this scene.