Mahabharata 11.25.5 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 25, Shloka 5
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
आततपे क्लाम्यमानानां विविधानामिव स््रजाम् । क्लान्तानामपि नारीणां श्रीर्जहाति न वै तनू:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: ātatape klāmyamānānāṃ vividhānām iva srajām | klāntānām api nārīṇāṃ śrīr jahāti na vai tanūḥ ||
வைசம்பாயனன் கூறினான்— வெயிலின் தாபத்தில் வாடும் பலவகைப் பூமாலைகள் போல அந்தப் பெண்கள் சோர்ந்தனர்; ஆயினும் சோர்வினிடையிலும் அவர்களின் உடல்களை அழகின் ஒளியும் அரச காந்தியும் உண்மையில் விட்டு நீங்கவில்லை.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid extreme suffering and exhaustion after war, the survivors retain inherent dignity and auspicious radiance (śrī). The verse invites ethical regard and compassion toward bereaved women rather than viewing them as diminished by tragedy.
In Strīparva’s lamentation scenes, the women—especially royal women—are described as scorched by heat and worn out, compared to flower garlands wilting in the sun; yet their beauty and royal splendor remain, highlighting the poignancy of their grief in the war’s aftermath.
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