Mahabharata 11.25.4 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 25, Shloka 4

स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च

Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse

Devanagari script

हतबन्धुरनाथा च वेपन्ती मधुरस्वरा

Transliteration

hatabandhur anāthā ca vepantī madhurasvarā | śrīkṛṣṇa! apane jīvanabandhuke māre jāne se anātha huī yaha rānī kāṁpatī huī madhura svar se vilāpa kara rahī hai | ghām se murjhātī huī nānā prakār kī puṣpamālāoṁ ke samān ye rāja-rāniyāṁ dhūp se tap gaīṁ haiṁ, to bhī inke śarīroṁ ko saundarya-śrī choṛ nahīṁ rahī hai |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Bị tước mất thân tộc và không còn chỗ nương tựa, vị vương hậu run rẩy, than khóc bằng giọng ngọt ngào mà vỡ vụn. Ôi Śrī Kṛṣṇa, vì người bạn đời—chính sinh mệnh của nàng—đã bị sát hại, nàng trở nên bơ vơ. Và những phụ nữ hoàng tộc ấy—như những tràng hoa đủ loại rũ xuống dưới sức nóng—bị mặt trời thiêu đốt đến rã rời; vậy mà ánh đẹp và phong thái vương giả vẫn chưa rời bỏ thân thể họ.

Word by Word

• हत: slain / killed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त)
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• बन्धु: kinsman, relative
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• अनाथा: helpless, without protector
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• वेपन्ती: trembling
• वेपन्ती: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वेप् (धातु) → वेपन्ती (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: present (participle), singular, feminine, nominative

• मधुर: sweet
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: feminine, instrumental, singular

• स्वरा: with (her) voice/tone
• स्वरा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: feminine, instrumental, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वैशम्पायन (Vaiśampāyana)
• श्रीकृष्ण (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• रानी (the queen/widowed royal lady)
• राज-रानियाँ (royal women/queens)
• पुष्पमालाएँ (flower garlands)
• धूप (sunlight/heat)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical aftermath of war: the true ‘victory’ is shadowed by bereavement and helplessness. Yet it also points to an enduring dignity—beauty and royal grace remain even when life is shattered—inviting compassion and moral reflection on the costs of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a queen who, having lost her husband and kin, trembles and laments before Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He also depicts the other royal women, sun-scorched and exhausted, compared to wilting flower garlands, yet still retaining their natural splendor—an image intensifying the scene’s sorrow.