Shloka 13
Bhīṣmadeva’s Passing Away in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa
संस्थितेऽतिरथे पाण्डौ पृथा बालप्रजा वधू: । युष्मत्कृते बहून् क्लेशान् प्राप्ता तोकवती मुहु: ॥ १३ ॥
saṁsthite ’tirathe pāṇḍau pṛthā bāla-prajā vadhūḥ yuṣmat-kṛte bahūn kleśān prāptā tokavatī muhuḥ
As for my daughter-in-law Pṛthā (Kuntī): when the great atiratha Pāṇḍu passed away, she became a widow with many young children and thus endured many hardships. And even after you grew up, because of your deeds she again and again suffered greatly.
The sufferings of Kuntīdevī are doubly lamented. She suffered greatly because of early widowhood and to get her minor children brought up in the royal family. And when her children were grown up, she continued to suffer because of her sons’ actions. So her sufferings continued. This means that she was destined to suffer by providence, and this one has to tolerate without being disturbed.
FAQs
Bhīṣma states that after Pāṇḍu’s death, Kuntī—raising small children—endured repeated hardships, and he attributes these sufferings to Krishna’s arrangement within His divine plan.
While offering prayers before leaving his body, Bhīṣma recalls how Krishna guided events around the Pāṇḍavas and Kuntī, highlighting His hidden protection even amid their trials.
It encourages steadiness in devotion during adversity—seeing repeated challenges as occasions to deepen surrender, rather than as proof of abandonment.