Shloka 2
Adhyāya 125: Raṅga-pradarśana — Arjuna’s Entry and Astric Demonstration (रङ्गप्रदर्शनम्)
(पूर्णे चतुर्दशे वर्षे फाल्गुनस्य च धीमत: । तदा उत्तरफन्गुन्यां प्रवृत्ते स्वस्तिवाचने ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
(pūrṇe caturdaśe varṣe phālgunasya ca dhīmataḥ | tadā uttaraphalgunyāṃ pravṛtte svastivācane ||
rakṣaṇe vismṛtā kuntī vyagrā brāhmaṇabhojane | purohitena sahitā brāhmaṇān paryaveṣayat ||
tasmin kāle samāhūya mādrīṃ madanamohitaḥ |) supuṣpitavane kāle kadācin madhumādhave |
bhūtasammohane rājā sabhāryo vyacarad vanam |
Vaiśampāyana said: When the fourteenth year of the wise Phālguna (Arjuna) was completed, and the auspicious benedictions (svasti-vācana) began under the Uttaraphalgunī constellation, Kuntī—absorbed in feeding the brāhmaṇas—forgot her duty of guarding King Pāṇḍu. Together with the family priest, she herself served the brāhmaṇas. At that very time, Pāṇḍu, deluded by desire, summoned Mādrī and went with her. It was once in the season of spring, when the forest, richly blossoming and intoxicating to living beings, drew all hearts; the king wandered in the woods with his wife.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes two duties and two impulses: Kuntī’s dharmic hospitality to brāhmaṇas and her momentary lapse in guarding Pāṇḍu, while Pāṇḍu, overcome by desire, seeks private pleasure. It highlights how even righteous acts can create vulnerability when other responsibilities are neglected, and how kāma can cloud judgment and lead toward grave consequences.
On Arjuna’s fourteenth-year completion, auspicious rites are performed under Uttaraphalgunī. Kuntī becomes fully occupied serving brāhmaṇas with the priest. In that interval, Pāṇḍu—desire-struck—calls Mādrī and roams with her in a springtime forest that is vividly described as enchanting to all beings, setting the stage for the ensuing pivotal incident in the Pāṇḍu narrative.