Shloka 6
जातमात्र च त॑ गर्भ धात्र्या सम्मन्त्रय भाविनी । मज्जूषायां समाधाय स्वास्तीर्णायां समन्ततः,उस बालकके पैदा होते ही भामिनी कुन्तीने धायसे सलाह लेकर एक पिटारी मँगवायी और उसमें सब ओर सुन्दर मुलायम बिछौने बिछा दिये। इसके बाद उस पिटारीमें चारों ओर मोम चुपड़ दिया, जिससे उसके भीतर जल न प्रवेश कर सके। जब वह सब तरहसे चिकनी और सुखद हो गयी, तब उसके भीतर उस बालकको सुला दिया और उसका सुन्दर ढककन बंद कर दिया तथा रोते-रोते उस पिटारीको अश्वनदीमें छोड़ दिया
jātamātraṃ ca taṃ garbhaṃ dhātryā sammantrya bhāvinī | mañjūṣāyāṃ samādhāya svāstīrṇāyāṃ samantataḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: As soon as the child was born, the resolute lady, after consulting the nurse, placed the newborn in a chest that had been carefully lined on all sides with soft bedding. The act, though outwardly harsh, is framed as a desperate measure to conceal a socially perilous birth—an ethical tension between personal honor, fear of public censure, and the duty to protect life as best as circumstances allow.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic dilemma: when social fear and personal reputation collide with the sanctity of life, choices become morally complex. It invites reflection on responsibility, compassion under constraint, and the long shadow of concealed actions.
Immediately after the child’s birth, the woman consults her nurse and places the newborn into a well-lined chest. In the broader episode (as commonly transmitted), the chest is prepared to be set afloat to hide the birth while still giving the child a chance to survive.