Shloka 11
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानम् — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Departure for Forest Life
“मेरा अहोभाग्य कि मैं तपस्यामें लगी हुई माता कुन्तीका दर्शन करूँगा। उनके सिरके बाल जटारूपमें परिणत हो गये होंगे! वे तपस्विनी बूढ़ी माता कुश और काशके आसनोंपर शयन करनेके कारण क्षत-विक्षत हो रही होंगी
mama aho-bhāgyaṃ yat ahaṃ tapasyāyāṃ lagitāyāḥ mātāḥ kuntyāḥ darśanaṃ kariṣyāmi | tasyāḥ śiraso keśāḥ jaṭā-rūpeṇa pariṇatā bhaviṣyanti | sā tapasvinī vṛddhā mātā kuśa-kāśa-āsaneṣu śayanāt kṣata-vikṣatā bhaviṣyati |
“Betapa bertuahnya aku, kerana aku akan menatap Ibu Kuntī yang tenggelam dalam tapa. Rambut di kepalanya tentu telah menjadi jata yang kusut. Ibu tua yang bertapa itu—tidur di atas hamparan rumput kuśa dan kāśa—pasti lebam dan terluka, terkoyak oleh kerasnya nazar pertapaannya.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharma expressed as voluntary austerity and detachment after worldly duties are fulfilled. It also frames ethical reverence for elders—especially a mother who has embraced hardship for spiritual ends—inviting compassion and respect rather than attachment to comfort.
The speaker (Vaiśampāyana) conveys an expectation of meeting Mother Kuntī living as an ascetic. He imagines visible signs of her forest discipline—matted hair and bodily injuries from sleeping on rough grass bedding—underscoring the severity of her vow in the āśrama (forest-dwelling) phase.