Shloka 16
कुन्तीनिवर्तनप्रयत्नः तथा वननिवासप्रारम्भः
Attempt to Dissuade Kuntī; Commencement of Forest Residence
एतास्तु सीमन्तशिरोरुहा या: शुक्लोत्तरीया नरराजपत्न्यः । राज्ञोअस्य वृद्धस्य परं शताख्या: स््नुषा नृवीराहतपुत्रनाथा:
etāstu sīmantaśiroruhā yāḥ śuklottarīyā nararājapatnyaḥ | rājño 'sya vṛddhasya paraṃ śatākhyāḥ snuṣā nṛvīrāhataputranāthāḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «Et, en plus de celles-là, ces femmes—épouses de rois—sont assises enveloppées de vêtements blancs ; leurs têtes et la raie de leurs cheveux sont privées des marques fastes de l’épouse. Elles sont les belles-filles de ce vieux roi, dit “celui des cent” : les épouses des cent frères. Leurs maris et leurs fils, appuis de leur existence, ont été tués au combat par des guerriers héroïques.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical and existential cost of war: royal power and lineage culminate in bereavement, and the social markers of auspicious married life give way to the stark signs of mourning. It invites reflection on impermanence and the human consequences that follow adharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya points out a group of women in mourning—clad in white—identifying them as the daughters-in-law of the aged king, i.e., the wives connected with the ‘hundred’ Kauravas. He notes that their husbands and sons have been killed in the war by heroic fighters.