Shloka 12
कुन्तीनिवर्तनप्रयत्नः तथा वननिवासप्रारम्भः
Attempt to Dissuade Kuntī; Commencement of Forest Residence
इयं स्वसा राजचमूपतेश्न प्रवृद्धनीलोत्पलदामवर्णा | पस्पर्ध कृष्णेन सदा नूपो यो वृकोदरस्यैष परिग्रहो5ग्रय:,ये जो इन्दीवरके समान श्यामवर्णवाली राजमहिला विराजमान हैं, भीमसेनकी श्रेष्ठ पत्नी हैं। ये उस राजसेनापति एवं नरेशकी बहन हैं, जो सदा भगवान् श्रीकृष्णसे टक्कर लेनेका हौसला रखता था
iyaṁ svasā rāja-camū-pateḥ sma pravṛddha-nīlotpala-dāma-varṇā | paspardha kṛṣṇena sadā nṛpo yo vṛkodarasya eṣa parigraho ’gryaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wanita ini—gelap seperti kalungan teratai biru yang sedang mekar penuh—ialah saudari kepada raja itu, panglima bala tentera diraja, yang sentiasa berani menandingi Kṛṣṇa. Dialah isteri utama Bhīma (Vṛkodara).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how identity in the epic is often established through relational dharma—family ties and marital bonds—while also reminding that prideful rivalry with the righteous (here, challenging Kṛṣṇa) becomes a defining moral marker of a person’s character.
Sañjaya identifies a particular royal woman by describing her appearance and lineage: she is the sister of a king who used to challenge Kṛṣṇa, and she is presented as Bhīma’s foremost wife.