Shloka 9
अौर्ध्वदेहिक-श्राद्धे दानयज्ञविस्तारः | Expansion of the Aurdhvadehika Śrāddha and the Donation-Rite
तथैव वृद्ध पितरं हतपुत्र॑ जनेश्वरम् । गान्धारी च महाभागां विदुरं च महामतिम्
tathaiva vṛddha-pitaraṁ hata-putraṁ janeśvaram | gāndhārīṁ ca mahābhāgāṁ viduraṁ ca mahāmatim ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच—तथैव हतपुत्रं वृद्धं पितरं जनेश्वरं धृतराष्ट्रं महाभागां गान्धारीं महामतिं विदुरं च नित्यं चिन्तयन् स न शान्तिमवाप। तस्य मनो न राज्यकर्मणि न रमणीयेषु न वेदाध्ययनेषु च समपद्यत।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the moral and emotional aftermath of violence persists beyond victory: compassion for the bereaved and the weight of responsibility can dissolve interest in power, pleasure, and even study, pushing one toward detachment and a search for peace aligned with dharma.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a character’s continuing anxiety and lack of rest due to concern for the aged Dhṛtarāṣṭra (bereft of sons), along with Gāndhārī and Vidura—figures deeply affected by the war—showing the unsettled state of mind in the war’s aftermath.