Shloka 63
Āśvamedha-dīkṣā-nirdeśaḥ — Scheduling the Initiation and Assigning Protection for the Horse
कुन्तीं च राजशार्दूल तदा भरतसत्तम | नृपश्रेष्ठ भरतभूषण! धृतराष्ट्रसे मिलनेके बाद वे सुबलपुत्री गान्धारी और कुन्तीसे मिले
kuntīṃ ca rājaśārdūla tadā bharatasattama | nṛpaśreṣṭha bharatabhūṣaṇa dhṛtarāṣṭrase milaneke bād ve subalaputrī gāndhārī aur kuntīse mile |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O tiger among kings, O best of the Bharatas, O foremost ruler, ornament of the Bharata line—then he also met Kuntī. After meeting Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he went on to meet Gāndhārī, the daughter of Subala, and Kuntī.” The passage underscores the post-war ethic of honoring elders and maintaining familial bonds through respectful reconciliation.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even after devastating conflict, dharma requires honoring relationships and elders through respectful meetings and reconciliation, sustaining social and familial order.
After meeting Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the central figure being addressed proceeds to meet the senior women of the Kuru household—Gāndhārī (Subala’s daughter) and Kuntī—marking a formal, duty-bound encounter in the post-war setting.