Shloka 58
Vidura’s Return; Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Departure; Nārada’s Instruction on Kāla and Detachment
दह्यमानेऽग्निभिर्देहे पत्यु: पत्नी सहोटजे । बहि: स्थिता पतिं साध्वी तमग्निमनु वेक्ष्यति ॥ ५८ ॥
dahyamāne ’gnibhir dehe patyuḥ patnī sahoṭaje bahiḥ sthitā patiṁ sādhvī tam agnim anu vekṣyati
As her husband’s body burns in the fire of yogic power along with his thatched hut, his chaste wife, standing outside and gazing upon him with single-pointed attention, will enter that fire.
Gāndhārī was an ideal chaste lady, a life companion of her husband, and therefore when she saw her husband burning in the fire of mystic yoga along with his cottage of leaves, she despaired. She left home after losing her one hundred sons, and in the forest she saw that her most beloved husband was also burning. Now she actually felt alone, and therefore she entered the fire of her husband and followed her husband to death. This entering of a chaste lady into the fire of her dead husband is called the satī rite, and the action is considered to be most perfect for a woman. In a later age, this satī rite became an obnoxious criminal affair because the ceremony was forced upon even an unwilling woman. In this fallen age it is not possible for any lady to follow the satī rite as chastely as it was done by Gāndhārī and others in past ages. A chaste wife like Gāndhārī would feel the separation of her husband to be more burning than actual fire. Such a lady can observe the satī rite voluntarily, and there is no criminal force by anyone. When the rite became a formality only and force was applied upon a lady to follow the principle, actually it became criminal, and therefore the ceremony was to be stopped by state law. This prophecy of Nārada Muni to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira forbade him to go to his widowed aunt.
FAQs
This verse describes the steadfast devotion of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s wife (Gāndhārī), who, together with Kuntī, followed him at the time his body was consumed by fire—highlighting loyalty and shared renunciation at life’s end.
After Dhṛtarāṣṭra accepted renunciation and departed for the forest, both queens accompanied him as part of the final stage of life (vānaprastha/sannyāsa mood), choosing detachment from royal life and turning inward toward spiritual completion.
Practice gradual detachment: simplify possessions, reduce ego-based identity, and prioritize spiritual habits—so that life’s unavoidable changes can be met with steadiness, faith, and dignity.