Shloka 14
Kuvalāśva’s Lineage and Uttaṅka’s Petition concerning Dhundhu (धुन्धु-प्रसङ्गः)
सा सेनोपविष्टं राजानं परिवार्यातिष्ठत् । पर्याश्वस्तश्न॒ राजा तयैव सह शिबिकया प्रायादव-घोटितया स स्वं नगरमनुप्राप्पय रहसि तया सहास्ते,“वह सेना अपने बैठे हुए राजाको चारों ओरसे घेरकर खड़ी हो गयी। अच्छी तरह सुस्ता लेनेके पश्चात् राजा एक साफ-सुथरी चिकनी पालकीमें उसीके साथ बैठकर अपने नगरको चल दिये और वहाँ पहुँचकर उस नवविवाहिता सुन्दरीके साथ एकान्तवास करने लगे
sā senopaviṣṭaṃ rājānaṃ parivāryātiṣṭhat | paryāśvastas tu rājā tayāiva saha śibikayā prāyād avaghoṭitayā sa svaṃ nagaram anuprāpya rahasi tayā sahāste |
Vaiśampāyana said: The army stood around the king as he sat, forming a protective ring. After he had rested and regained composure, the king set out with that very woman in a clean, well-appointed palanquin. Reaching his own city, he remained with her in seclusion—signaling a turn from public duty to private pleasure and the ethically charged tension between royal responsibility and personal desire.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata concern: a ruler’s life is pulled between rājadharma (public responsibility, protection, order) and kāma (private desire). The movement from being guarded by the army to seeking seclusion with the woman underscores how private choices can carry public ethical weight for a king.
The troops encircle the seated king. After resting, he departs in a comfortable, well-appointed palanquin with the woman, reaches his city, and then stays with her in private seclusion.