Shloka 1736
Gāndhārī’s Petition for a Vision of the Departed (गान्धार्याः प्रार्थना—दिव्यदर्शनप्रसङ्गः)
समन्ततः परिक्षिप्ता माताभून्मे दवाग्निना । 'भीमसेन! इस भयसे मुझे बचाओ, ऐसा कहकर चारों ओर चीखती-चिल्लाती हुई मेरी माताको दावानलने जलाकर भस्म कर दिया होगा
samantataḥ parikṣiptā mātābhūn me davāgninā | bhīmasena! asya bhayāt māṃ mocaya iti uktvā caturdiśaṃ krandantī vilapantī ca mama mātā davānalena dagdhvā bhasmībhūtā bhaviṣyati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Mẹ ta đã bị lửa rừng vây kín bốn bề. Vừa kêu gào: ‘Bhīmasena! Hãy cứu mẹ khỏi nỗi kinh hoàng này!’ vừa khóc thét khắp mọi phía—hẳn người đã bị biển lửa thiêu đốt và hóa thành tro bụi.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical weight of kinship and protection (especially toward one’s mother) and the painful recognition of impermanence: even the most revered relationships are vulnerable to sudden loss, calling for compassion and steadiness in dharma amid grief.
Yudhiṣṭhira imagines (or fears) that his mother has been trapped by a forest-fire. He recalls her desperate cry to Bhīma for rescue and concludes that she may have been burned to ashes, expressing intense sorrow and helplessness.