Stri Parva

The Stri Parva (Sanskrit: स्त्री पर्व), or the "Book of the Women," is the eleventh of eighteen books of the Indian Epic Mahabharata. It has 4 sub-books and 27 chapters.

Sometimes spelled Stree Parva, it 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.

This Parva (book) has 4 sub-parvas (sub-books or little books) and 27 adhyayas (sections, chapters). The 4 sub-books are:

Stri 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.

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