Shloka 4
स्त्रीपर्व — गान्धारीविलापः
Strī Parva — Gāndhārī’s Lament over the Fallen
अस्य भार्या5<मिषप्रेप्सून् गृध्रकाकांस्तपस्विनी । वारयत्यनिशं बाला न च शकनोति माधव,माधव! उसकी तपस्विनी पत्नी जो अभी बालिका है, मांसलोलुप गीधों और कौओंको हटानेकी निरन्तर चेष्टा करती है; परंतु सफल नहीं हो पाती है
asya bhāryā māṁsa-prepsūn gṛdhra-kākāṁs tapasvinī | vārayaty aniśaṁ bālā na ca śaknoti mādhava mādhava ||
अस्य भार्या तपस्विनी बाला मिषप्रेप्सून् गृध्रकाकान् अनिशं वारयति; न च शक्नोति माधव॥ माधव! अस्य तपस्विनी भार्या, या बालैव, मांसलुब्धान् गृध्रान् काकांश्च निरन्तरं निवारयितुं यतते; तथापि सा सफलं न भवति।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one is virtuous and vigilant, the consequences of adharma and mass violence can overwhelm individual effort. The verse evokes compassion and ethical reflection on war’s lingering harm, especially to the innocent.
Vaiśampāyana describes a young ascetic wife trying continuously to ward off vultures and crows that seek flesh, but she cannot. The image belongs to the Stree Parva’s portrayal of the battlefield’s horrors and the women’s grief after the war.