Stri Parva

Stree Parva

Kannada translation

11_StreeParva_19 May 2021

Structure

The Stree Parva (Sanskrit: स्त्री पर्व), or the "Book of the Women," is the eleventh of eighteen books of the Mahabharata. According to the Critical Edition, this Parva (Book) has a total of 730 Shlokas (Verses) organized into 27 Adhyayas (Chapters) rolled into 4 Upa Parvas (Sections). The Upa Parvas are:

Vishoka Parva (8 Adhyayas 1-8; 194 Shlokas)
Stree Parva (17 Adhyayas 9-25; 468 Shlokas)
Shraaddha Parva (1 Adhyaya 26; 44 Shlokas)
Jalapradanika Parva (1 Adhyaya 27; 24 Shlokas)

Summary

Sometimes spelled Stri Parva, this Parva describes the grief of women because of the war. The Parva recites the grief of men too, such as of Dhritrashtra and the Pandava brothers. The chapters include a treatise by Vidura and Vyasa on passage rites with words of comfort for those who have lost loved ones, as well as the saṃsāra fable of the man and a well.

Stree Parva recites the trauma and grief of women after the war. It opens with a statement of Dhritrashtra's grief at the death of all his sons and grandsons. Sages Vidura and Vyasa console his grief with a treatise on death and emotional loss. These chapters present the theory of birth-rebirth. Dhristrashtra and Kaurava women then visit the battlefield. The women express their grief from loss and question war - they criticize both sides for unleashing the war and death.

In later chapters of Stree Parva, Pandava brothers and women from Pandava side meet Dhristrashtra. The blind Kaurava king attempts to kill Bhima in retaliation for Duryodhana's death - but fails because of an intervention by Krishna. Dhristrashtra repents. The Pandavas with Krishna and sages thereafter go to see Gandhari, the upset and weeping Kaurava mother who had lost all her sons and grandsons at the war. Sage Vyasa reminds her of the wisdom she taught to her sons, "victory follows righteousness", then counsels that the war was one fought for righteousness. Gandhari replies that she forgives the war, but finds it difficult to forgive actions during the war that were unjust. She demands to know why the rules of just war were abused, why cruelty (adharma) was practiced during the war. They debate whether the promise of quicker peace justify use of weapons that kill indiscriminately, other war crimes and horrors by one side against the other side. Bhima argues it does. The sages present provide a different perspective. Gandhari curses Krishna for not doing anything even though he had the power to prevent the slaughter and unjust actions during the war. Krishna accepts her curse, but reminds her that she applauded her sons when they committed wicked deeds before the war and she is questioning justice in and after war, a justice she denied others before the war.

After Gandhari, the Pandava brothers meet Kunti and Draupadi, two women on the side of Pandavas, who express their own grief for the war. They grieve and suggest war is easy to start but war never ends, and its consequences are painfully long. Dhristarashtra asks Yudhishthira as to how many people died and escaped from the 18-day Kurukshetra War on the two sides. Yudhishthira replies 1,660,020,000 human beings died, while 20,165 people abandoned the Kurukshetra war. The two sides together perform passage rites in river Ganges, in the memory of those who gave their lives during the war.

Stri parva includes Vyasa's and Vidura's treatise about death and grief, passage rites in last two Chapters, as well as saṃsāra through the fable of the man, the forest, the bees, the honey, the elephant and a well in Chapters 2 through 7.

Episodes

Vidura and Vyasa console the grieving Dhritarashtra
Dhritarashtra meets the Pandavas on the way to the battlefield
Gandhari laments and curses Krishna
Shraaddha and Jalatarpana

Free downloads

My Kannada translation of Stree Parva, along with the Shlokas
Stri Parva in Sanskrit, by Recension:
1. BORI Critical Edition
2. Bombay Nilakantha Recension
3. Kumbhakonam Recension
4. Southern Recension (PPS Sastry)