Shloka 25
अध्याय १५ (Āśramavāsika-parva): धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनवासानुज्ञायाचनम् — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s renewed plea for consent to forest-dwelling
यदा राज्यमिदं कुन्ति भोक्तव्यं पुत्रनिर्जितम् । प्राप्तव्या राजधर्माश्व तदेयं ते कुतो मति:
yadā rājyam idaṃ kunti bhoktavyaṃ putranirjitam | prāptavyā rājadharmāś ca tadevaṃ te kuto matiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Oh Kuntī, cuando había llegado el tiempo de que gozaras de este reino conquistado por tus hijos, y cuando ya se había asegurado la ocasión de sostener los deberes de la realeza, ¿cómo pudo nacer en ti tal determinación?»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between rightful enjoyment of hard-won sovereignty and the sudden turn toward renunciation. It frames kingship as a dharmic responsibility (rājadharma), not merely a prize, and questions the timing and motive of withdrawing from that duty.
Vaiśampāyana addresses Kuntī, expressing surprise: after the Pāṇḍavas have secured the kingdom and the conditions for proper governance are in place, he asks how Kuntī has come to a mindset that turns away from enjoying or participating in that newly established order.