Shloka 17

धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानम् — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Departure for Forest Life

Devanagari script

अग्रपादस्थितं चेम॑ विद्धि राजन्‌ वधूजनम्‌ । काडुशक्षन्तं दर्शन कुन्त्या गान्धार्या: श्वशुरस्य च,“राजन! आपको विदित हो कि अन्तःपुरकी सभी बहुएँ वनमें जानेके लिये पैर आगे बढ़ाये खड़ी हैं। वे सब-की-सब कुन्ती, गान्धारी तथा ससुरजीके दर्शन करना चाहती हैं

Transliteration

agrāpādasthitaṃ cema viddhi rājan vadhūjanam | kāṅkṣantaṃ darśanaṃ kuntyā gāndhāryāḥ śvaśurasya ca |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: “Sabe también esto, oh rey: las mujeres de los aposentos interiores—nuestras nueras—están de pie, con el pie adelantado, listas para partir al bosque. Todas anhelan contemplar a Kuntī, a Gāndhārī y a su venerable suegro.”

Word by Word

अग्रपादस्थितम्standing with feet advanced (ready to go)

चand

इमम्this

विद्धिknow (you)! / understand!

राजन्O king

वधूजनम्the group of daughters-in-law

कान्तुंto desire / to wish

दर्शनम्seeing; audience; दर्शन

कुन्त्याःof Kunti

गान्धार्याःof Gandhari

श्वशुरस्यof the father-in-law

चand

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

King Janamejaya

vadhūjana (the daughters-in-law of the Kuru household)

Kuntī

Gāndhārī

śvaśura (the father-in-law; Dhṛtarāṣṭra implied)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharma within the family: even amid loss and transition, the household women uphold respect and relational duty by seeking auspicious audience (darśana) of elders before a major renunciatory departure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports to the king that the palace daughters-in-law are ready to go to the forest and wish to see Kuntī, Gāndhārī, and their father-in-law (implicitly Dhṛtarāṣṭra), indicating a collective movement toward the elders’ forest life.