Shloka 160
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
सिद्धिर्धतिश्व ये देव्यौ पज्चानां मातरौ तु ते । कुन्ती माद्री च जज्ञाते मतिस्तु सुबलात्मजा
siddhir dhṛtiś ca ye devyau pañcānāṁ mātarau tu te | kuntī mādrī ca jajñāte matis tu subalātmajā ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Las dos diosas llamadas Siddhi y Dhṛti nacieron en la tierra como las dos madres de los cinco Pāṇḍavas: Kuntī y Mādrī. Y la diosa Mati misma se manifestó como Gāndhārī, hija del rey Subala. Así, la epopeya presenta a las madres principales del linaje Kuru–Pāṇḍava como encarnaciones de cualidades divinas—logro, firmeza y discernimiento—insinuando que las fuerzas morales y psicológicas que darán forma al conflicto venidero hunden sus raíces en un origen sagrado.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents key maternal figures as embodiments of divine virtues—Siddhi (accomplishment), Dhṛti (steadfastness), and Mati (intelligence). Ethically, it suggests that human history and moral struggle are shaped by inner qualities; the epic’s great outcomes depend not only on power but on the virtues and dispositions that give rise to action and counsel.
Vaiśampāyana explains a genealogical-cosmic detail: the goddesses Siddhi and Dhṛti took birth as Kuntī and Mādrī, the mothers of the five Pāṇḍavas, and the goddess Mati took birth as Gāndhārī, daughter of Subala. This situates the Kuru–Pāṇḍava family story within a divine framework.