आयोधनदर्शनम्
Viewing the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
आसामपरिपूर्णार्थ निशम्य परिदेवितम् | इतरेतरसंक्रन्दान्न विजानन्ति योषित:
āsām aparipūrṇārthaṃ niśamya paridevitam | itaretara-saṃkrandān na vijānanti yoṣitaḥ ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच— आसां परिदेवितम् अपरिपूर्णार्थं निशम्य, इतरेतरसंक्रन्दनात् योषितो न विजानन्ति किमुच्यते।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights how overwhelming grief fractures speech and comprehension: in collective mourning, words become incomplete and mutual cries drown out clear meaning, underscoring the human cost of war.
In the Stree Parva’s mourning scenes after the great battle, the women are wailing and calling to one another; their lament is so broken and tumultuous that they cannot clearly understand each other’s words.