Shloka 9
समुत्सृजन्ती मज्जूषामश्वनद्यां तदा जले । उवाच रुदती कुन्ती यानि वाक्यानि तच्छूणु,उस समय अश्वनदीके जलमें उस पिटारीको छोड़ते समय रोती हुई कुन्तीने जो बातें कहीं, उन्हें बताता हूँ; सुनो
samutsṛjantī majjūṣām aśvanadyāṁ tadā jale | uvāca rudatī kuntī yāni vākyāni tac chṛṇu ||
As she was then casting the casket into the waters of the Aśvanadī, Kuntī—overcome with tears—spoke certain words. Hear from me what she said. The moment frames a painful ethical tension: a mother’s grief and fear of social censure set against the irreversible consequences of abandoning a child, and the narrative prepares the listener to weigh compassion, duty, and the cost of secrecy.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical dilemma where personal fear and social reputation collide with compassion and responsibility. It invites reflection on how secrecy and honor-based choices can produce lasting suffering, and how dharma is tested most sharply in moments of vulnerability and irreversible action.
Vaiśaṃpāyana tells the listener that, at the moment Kuntī releases a casket into the river Aśvanadī, she is crying and speaks certain words. This line functions as a narrative bridge, introducing Kuntī’s lament or prayer that follows.