Shloka 1
Adhyāya 16 — Daiva, Kṣatriya-dharma, and Public Reassurance to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
ऑपन-माजल बछ। जि सप्तदशो< ध्याय: कुन्तीका पाण्डवोंको उनके अनुरोधका उत्तर कुन्त्युवाच एवमेतन्महाबाहो यथा वदसि पाण्डव । कृतमुद्धर्षणं पूर्व मया व: सीदतां नृपा:,कुन्ती बोली--महाबाहु पाण्डुनन्दन! तुम जैसा कहते हो, वही ठीक है। राजाओ! पूर्वकालमें तुम नाना प्रकारके कष्ट उठाकर शिथिल हो गये थे, इसलिये मैंने तुम्हें युद्धके लिये उत्साहित किया था
Kuntī uvāca—evam etan mahābāho yathā vadasi Pāṇḍava | kṛtam uddharṣaṇaṃ pūrvaṃ mayā vaḥ sīdatāṃ nṛpāḥ ||
Kuntī said: “Yes—what you say is indeed so, O mighty-armed son of Pāṇḍu. Formerly, when you kings had grown weary and dispirited under many hardships, I roused you to action.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kuntī frames her earlier incitement as a responsible act: when rightful rulers become dispirited, a guardian-elder may rouse them to fulfill kṣatriya-duty. The ethical point is that encouragement toward action can be justified when it restores resolve for dharma rather than serving personal anger or gain.
In response to the Pāṇḍavas’ remarks, Kuntī agrees with their assessment and explains her past conduct: seeing them exhausted and dejected after prolonged suffering, she deliberately stirred them up—preparing them mentally for the struggle that culminated in war.