Shloka 37
अश्रमवासिनां विषादः — Lament in Hastināpura after the Elders’ Forest Withdrawal
पुत्रशोकसमाविष्टा गान्धारी त्विदमब्रवीत् । श्वशुरं बद्धनयना देवी प्राज्जलिरुत्थिता,आँखोंपर पट्टी बाँधे गान्धारी देवी श्वशुरके सामने हाथ जोड़कर खड़ी हो गयीं और पुत्रशोकसे संतप्त होकर इस प्रकार बोलीं
putraśokasamāviṣṭā gāndhārī tvidam abravīt | śvaśuraṃ baddhanayanā devī prāñjalir utthitā ||
Nalugmok sa dalamhati para sa kanyang mga anak, nagsalita si Gāndhārī ng ganito. Ang reyna, na nakatali ng tela ang mga mata, ay tumindig sa harap ng kanyang biyenan na nakapagdaupang-palad sa paggalang; at—nag-aalab sa pighati—nagsimulang magsalita.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in intense personal grief, Gandhārī maintains dharmic decorum—rising, approaching her elder (father-in-law), and speaking with folded hands—showing that reverence and self-restraint are upheld as ethical ideals amid suffering.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that Gandhārī, still wearing her blindfold, stands before Dhṛtarāṣṭra with joined palms and begins to speak, driven by the anguish of losing her sons in the war’s aftermath.