Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 36
The Yadu–Vṛṣṇi–Andhaka Genealogies and the Purpose of Kṛṣṇa’s Advent
तं सात्यजन्नदीतोये कृच्छ्राल्लोकस्य बिभ्यती । प्रपितामहस्तामुवाह पाण्डुर्वै सत्यविक्रम: ॥ ३६ ॥
taṁ sātyajan nadī-toye kṛcchrāl lokasya bibhyatī prapitāmahas tām uvāha pāṇḍur vai satya-vikramaḥ
Because Kuntī feared people’s criticisms, with great difficulty she had to give up her affection for her child. Unwillingly, she packed the child in a basket and let it float down the waters of the river. O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, your great-grandfather the pious and chivalrous King Pāṇḍu later married Kuntī.
FAQs
This verse describes a woman, fearing public opinion, abandoning a child in a river—showing how social pressure can drive painful choices within historical narratives.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating these dynastic histories to Mahārāja Parīkṣit in the Ninth Canto.
It cautions that fear of social judgment can lead to harmful decisions; one should seek dharmic guidance and responsibility rather than acting from anxiety about reputation.