Shloka 34

अभिमन्युविलापः (Abhimanyu-vilāpa) — Uttarā’s lament, observed and framed by Gandhārī

Devanagari script

उत्तरं चाभिमन्युं च काम्बोजं च सुदक्षिणम्‌ । शिशूनेतान्‌ हतान्‌ पश्य लक्ष्मणं च सुदर्शनम्‌

Transliteration

uttaraṃ cābhimanyuṃ ca kāmbojaṃ ca sudakṣiṇam | śiśūnetān hatān paśya lakṣmaṇaṃ ca sudarśanam ||

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说道：“看哪——乌多罗与阿毗曼纽，又有甘波阇与苏达克希那；这些孩子都已被杀。再看那俊美的罗刹摩那。”此偈凸显战后余波的道德骇然：连年少有为者亦不蒙赦免，使哀号更深，也使大屠戮之后的伦理追问愈加沉重。

Word by Word

उत्तरम्Uttara (name)

चand

अभिमन्युम्Abhimanyu

चand

काम्बोजम्Kamboja (name/epithet)

चand

सुदक्षिणम्Sudakshina (name; lit. very capable/right-handed)

शिशून्children

एतान्these

हतान्slain

पश्यsee (you)! / behold!

लक्ष्मणम्Lakshmana (name)

चand

सुदर्शनम्Sudarshana (name; lit. good-looking/beautiful to see)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Uttarā

Abhimanyu

Kāmboja

Sudakṣiṇa

Lakṣmaṇa

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tragedy of war: its violence consumes not only warriors but also the young, making grief and moral reflection unavoidable. It functions as a stark reminder that adharma in conflict yields irreversible human loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker points out specific individuals—Uttarā, Abhimanyu, Kāmboja, Sudakṣiṇa, and Lakṣmaṇa—describing them as ‘children’ who have been slain, urging the listener to witness the devastation and thereby deepening the atmosphere of mourning characteristic of the Strī Parva.