Subhadrā’s Petition to Kṛṣṇa for the Revival of Parīkṣit (अभिमन्युज-प्राणरक्षा-प्रार्थना)
ततः: कृष्णं समासाद्य कुन्तिभोजसुता तदा । प्रोवाच राजशार्दूल बाष्पगद्गदया गिरा,नृपश्रेष्ठट उस समय श्रीकृष्णके निकट पहुँचकर कुन्तिभोजकुमारी कुन्ती नेत्रोंसे आँसू बहाती हुई गदगद वाणीमें बोली--
tataḥ kṛṣṇaṃ samāsādya kuntibhojasutā tadā | provāca rājaśārdūla bāṣpagadgadayā girā ||
Then Kuntī, the daughter of Kuntibhoja, approached Kṛṣṇa. With tears streaming from her eyes and her voice choked with emotion, she spoke—addressing him as the tiger among kings. The scene frames a morally weighty appeal: after the devastations of war, Kuntī turns to Kṛṣṇa as a trusted guide and protector, her grief and urgency shaping the ethical gravity of what she is about to request or confess.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the ethical seriousness of seeking guidance in moments of sorrow and moral complexity: Kuntī approaches Kṛṣṇa not in pride but in humility and grief, implying that dharma is best pursued through honest self-disclosure and reliance on wise counsel.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Kuntī comes near Kṛṣṇa and begins to speak, her words interrupted by tears and emotion. The verse functions as a transition into Kuntī’s forthcoming address—setting a tone of lament, urgency, and moral appeal.