Shloka 27
वैशम्पायन उवाच इति स्मोक्ता कुन्तिराजात्मजा सा विवस्वन्तं याचमाना सलज्जा । तस्मिन् पुण्ये शयनीये पपात मोहाविष्टा भज्यमाना लतेव,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--ऐसा कहकर कुन्तिनरेशकी कन्या पृथा भगवान् सूर्यसे पुत्रके लिये प्रार्थना करती हुई अत्यन्त लज्जा और मोहके वशीभूत होकर कटी हुई लताकी भाँति उस पवित्र शय्यापर गिर पड़ी
vaiśampāyana uvāca | iti smoktā kuntirājātmajā sā vivasvantaṃ yācamānā salajjā | tasmin puṇye śayanīye papāta mohāviṣṭā bhajyamānā lateva ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Thus addressed, Pṛthā—the daughter of King Kuntī—begged Vivasvān (the Sun-god) for a son. Overcome by modesty and delusion, she collapsed upon that sacred couch, like a creeper snapped and falling. The passage underscores the tension between youthful innocence and the grave consequences of invoking divine power, where desire and fear mingle with shame and moral uncertainty.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how invoking extraordinary powers (divine boons) can carry heavy moral and emotional consequences. Modesty (lajjā) and bewilderment (moha) arise when personal desire confronts social duty and ethical uncertainty, reminding readers to approach power and desire with discernment and responsibility.
After speaking to the Sun-god Vivasvān and imploring him for a son, Pṛthā (Kuntī) is overwhelmed by shame and confusion. She collapses onto a sacred couch, compared poetically to a vine that has been cut and falls.