Shloka 426
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
प्रलापयुक्त महति चित्रन्यस्तं पटे यथा । नृपश्रेष्ठ॒ उस समय वह क्रूरतापूर्ण वचन सुनकर कुरुकुलकी समस्त स्त्रियाँ और गान्धारी देवी सहसा पृथ्वीपर गिर गयीं
pralāpayuktaṁ mahati citranyastaṁ paṭe yathā | nṛpaśreṣṭha us samaya vah krūratāpūrṇa vacana sunkar kurukulakī samasta striyāṁ aur gāndhārī devī sahasā pṛthvīpar gir gayīṁ, rājaparivārake sabhī log apanī sudha-budha khokar dhartīpar gir paṛe aur pralāpa karne lage | ve aise jān paṛte the mano viśāl paṭpar aṅkita kiye gaye citra hoṁ |
毗舍波耶那说：大王之最胜者啊！听到那般残酷之言，俱卢族的诸位妇人——连同王后甘陀梨——顿时倒伏于地。王族上下尽失神智与自持，纷纷扑倒在地，放声哀号。他们宛如绘在巨大画布上的人像——凝滞不动，被悲痛震慑——显明战后一句 harsh 之语，足以加深苦难，摧折克制。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of speech: cruel or harsh words, especially amid catastrophe, intensify trauma and can break a community’s composure. Restraint (dama) and compassion in speech are implied as dharmic virtues when grief is already overwhelming.
After hearing a cruel statement (contextually, news and words connected to the war’s devastation), the Kuru household—its women and Queen Gāndhārī—collapse to the ground, lose awareness, and wail. The poet uses a simile: they look like painted figures on a large canvas, stunned and motionless in shock.