Shloka 21
Śārṅgakānāṃ Avināśaḥ (Why the Śārṅga Birds Were Spared) | शार्ङ्गकानामविनाशः
वबन््दे पृथुताम्राक्षी पृथां भद्रा यशस्विनी । तां कुन्ती चारुसर्वाज्जीमुपाजिप्रत मूर्थनि,वीरपत्नी, वरांगना एवं यशस्विनी सुभद्रा उस वेशमें और अधिक शोभा पाने लगी। उसकी आँखें विशाल और कुछ-कुछ लाल थीं। उस यशस्विनीने सुन्दर राजभवनके भीतर जाकर राजमाता कुन्तीके चरणोंमें प्रणाम किया। कुन्ती उस सर्वांगसुन्दरी पुत्र-वधूको हृदयसे लगाकर उसका मस्तक सूँघने लगी
vaiśampāyana uvāca | vande pṛthutāmrākṣīṃ pṛthāṃ bhadrāṃ yaśasvinīm | tāṃ kuntīṃ cāru-sarvāṅgīm upājagāma mūrdhani ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “I bow to that illustrious and auspicious lady—Pṛthā (Kuntī)—whose eyes were wide and tinged with redness.” The beautiful, well-proportioned bride approached Queen Kuntī and bowed her head at her feet. In the narrative, the scene highlights dharmic etiquette for a new daughter-in-law: reverence toward elders, modest conduct within the royal household, and affectionate acceptance by the family matriarch—an ideal of kinship, respect, and domestic harmony.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds household-dharma: a younger family member (especially a new bride) should approach elders with humility and reverence, while elders respond with gracious acceptance—strengthening harmony, legitimacy, and ethical order within the family and kingdom.
Vaiśampāyana describes an auspicious royal scene: the illustrious Kuntī (Pṛthā) is praised, and the beautiful bride approaches her, bowing her head at Kuntī’s feet—an act of formal respect and familial integration within the palace.