Shloka 26

Devanagari script

कुन्त्याश्वैवार्तनादेन सर्वाणि च विचुक्रुशु: । मानुषै: सह भूतानि तिर्यग्योनिगतान्यपि,कुन्तीके आर्तनादसे मनुष्योंसहित समस्त पशु और पक्षी आदि प्राणी भी करुणक्रन्दन करने लगे

Transliteration

kuntyāś caivārtanādena sarvāṇi ca vicukruśuḥ | mānuṣaiḥ saha bhūtāni tiryagyoni-gatāny api ||

Translation

At Kuntī’s very cry of anguish, all around began to wail; along with the people, even living creatures of the animal realm—those born in non-human wombs—also broke into pitiful lamentation.

Word by Word

कुन्त्याःof Kunti

एवindeed/just

आर्तनादेनby the lamenting cry

सर्वाणिall

चand

विचुक्रुशुःcried out/lamented

मानुषैःwith humans

सहtogether with

भूतानिcreatures/beings

तिर्यग्योनिगतानिthose belonging to animal births (non-human species)

अपिalso/even

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kuntī

humans (mānuṣāḥ)

living beings/creatures (bhūtāni)

animals and birds (tiryagyoni-gatāni)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the contagious power of suffering and empathy: intense human grief can move not only people but the wider community of living beings, suggesting a shared moral-emotional fabric (dharma) that binds life together.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that when Kuntī utters a cry of distress, widespread lamentation erupts—humans cry out, and even animals and birds (non-human creatures) respond with mournful sounds.