Shloka 30
कर्णप्रवेशः—रङ्गे द्वन्द्वयुद्धप्रस्तावः तथा अङ्गराज्याभिषेकः
Karna’s Entry, Duel Proposal, and Consecration as King of Aṅga
तं चितागतमाज्ञाय वैश्वानरमुखे हुतम् । प्रविष्टा पावकं माद्री हित्वा जीवितमात्मन:,“जब वे चितापर सुलाये गये और उन्हें अग्निके मुखमें होम दिया गया, उस समय देवी माद्री अपने जीवनका मोह छोड़कर उसी अम्निमें प्रविष्ट हो गयी
taṃ citāgatam ājñāya vaiśvānaramukhe hutam | praviṣṭā pāvakaṃ mādrī hitvā jīvitam ātmanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Knowing that he had been placed upon the funeral pyre and offered into the mouth of Vaiśvānara, the sacrificial Fire, Mādrī—renouncing attachment to her own life—entered that very fire.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an idealized portrayal of conjugal loyalty and renunciation: Mādrī abandons attachment to her own life and follows her husband in death, framed through the sacrificial imagery of Fire as the receiver of offerings. It also reflects the epic’s concern with dharma as expressed through socially and ritually charged choices at moments of crisis.
After Pāṇḍu has been placed on the funeral pyre and cremation rites begin—described as an offering into the mouth of Vaiśvānara—Mādrī enters the fire and dies, choosing self-immolation at the time of her husband’s cremation.