Shloka 5
अौर्ध्वदेहिक-श्राद्धे दानयज्ञविस्तारः | Expansion of the Aurdhvadehika Śrāddha and the Donation-Rite
सुदुष्कृतं कृतवती कुन्ती पुत्रानपश्यती । राज्यश्रियं परित्यज्य वनं सा समरोचयत्
suduṣkṛtaṃ kṛtavatī kuntī putrān apaśyatī | rājyśriyaṃ parityajya vanaṃ sā samarocayat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Kuntī performed a deed exceedingly hard to accomplish. Deprived of the sight of her sons, she renounced the splendor of royal fortune and chose instead to dwell in the forest—an act of austere resolve and moral renunciation amid the aftermath of war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True renunciation is shown not by words but by the willingness to relinquish comfort, status, and even cherished relationships when one seeks a higher ethical and spiritual course. Kuntī’s choice highlights detachment from power (rājyaśrī) and acceptance of hardship as a form of moral resolve.
In the Ashramavāsika context, after the great war and the establishment of the new rule, Kuntī chooses to abandon royal prosperity and go to the forest. The narrator emphasizes how difficult this is—especially since she must live without the daily sight of her sons—yet she accepts the forest life.