Shloka 23
रुदती पुत्रशोकार्ता निशीथे कमलेक्षणा । धात्रया सह पृथा राजन पुत्रदर्शनलालसा,जनमेजय! आधी रातके समय कमलनयनी कुन्ती पुत्रशोकसे आतुर हो उसके दर्शनकी लालसासे धात्रीके साथ नदीके तटपर देरतक रोती रही
rudatī putraśokārtā niśīthe kamalekṣaṇā | dhātryā saha pṛthā rājan putradarśanalālasā janamejaya ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: In the deep of night, Kuntī—lotus-eyed and overwhelmed by grief for her son—longing to behold him, wept for a long time on the riverbank, accompanied by her nurse. The scene underscores a mother’s helpless sorrow and the moral weight of separation and loss that even the noblest must endure.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the universality of sorrow and the ethical depth of empathy: even those connected to great destinies are subject to intense human grief. It invites the listener to recognize suffering without judgment and to value compassionate presence (here, the nurse accompanying Kuntī).
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that Kuntī (Pṛthā), distressed by grief for her son and yearning to see him, spends the midnight hours weeping for a long time at the riverbank, accompanied by her attendant nurse.