Shloka 35
Vyāsa’s Boon-Offer and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse in the Forest Assembly (आश्रमवासिक पर्व, अध्याय ३६)
गान्धारी च पृथा चैव जनन्यौ ते विशाम्पते । प्रजानाथ! इस प्रकार महामनस्वी कुरुराज धुृतराष्ट्र तथा तुम्हारी दोनों माताएँ गान्धारी और कुन्ती मृत्युको प्राप्त हो गयीं ।। ३४ $ ।। यदृच्छयानुव्रजता मया राज्ञ: कलेवरम्
gāndhārī ca pṛthā caiva jananyau te viśāmpate | prajānātha! yadṛcchayānuvrajatā mayā rājñaḥ kalevaram |
Nārada said: “O lord of the people, O ruler among men, your two mothers—Gāndhārī and Pṛthā (Kuntī)—have also met with death. As I happened to be following along, I witnessed the king’s mortal remains.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores an ethical and spiritual reminder central to the Mahābhārata: even the greatest royal lineages are subject to impermanence. Grief is natural, yet dharma calls the ruler to steadiness—recognizing death as inevitable and continuing responsibility without attachment.
Nārada reports to the addressed ruler that the elder generation—Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the two queens, Gāndhārī and Pṛthā (Kuntī)—have died. He adds that he happened to be present, following along, and thus speaks as a direct witness regarding the king’s mortal remains.