Shloka 46
धृष्टद्युम्नेन समागतक्षत्रियगणगणना
Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s Enumeration of Assembled Kṣatriyas
दीर्घकालेन सा गर्भ सुषुवे न तु तं॑ यदा । तदा देव्यश्मना कुक्षिं निर्बिभेद यशस्विनी,जब बहुत समय बीतनेके बाद (भी) वह गर्भ बाहर न निकला, तब यशस्विनी रानी (मदयन्ती)-ने अश्म (पत्थर)-से अपने गर्भाशयपर प्रहार किया
dīrghakālena sā garbhaṃ suṣuve na tu taṃ yadā | tadā devy aśmanā kukṣiṃ nirbibheda yaśasvinī ||
When a long time had passed and yet she could not deliver the child, then the illustrious queen, driven by anguish and urgency, struck her own belly with a stone. The episode underscores how overwhelming suffering can push a person toward desperate, self-harming acts, and it frames the moment as a tragic turning point rather than a model to imitate.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense grief and prolonged frustration can lead to rash, self-destructive choices; it invites ethical reflection on compassion, restraint, and the tragic consequences of acting under extreme distress.
After a very long pregnancy with no delivery, the queen—desperate for the child to be born—strikes her belly with a stone, violently forcing a rupture; the Gandharva narrates this as a dramatic crisis point in the lineage story.