Shloka 41
Udyoga Parva 142: Vidura’s warning to Kuntī and Kuntī’s resolve to meet Karṇa
Gaṅgātīra encounter begins
श्वेतोष्णीषाश्न दृश्यन्ते त्रय एते जनार्दन | धार्तरष्टेषु सैन्येषु तान् विजानीहि केशव,“'जनार्दन! दुर्योधनकी सेनाओंमेंसे मुझे तीन ही व्यक्ति स्वप्नमें श्वेत पगड़ीसे सुशोभित दिखायी दिये हैं। केशव! आप उनके नाम मुझसे जान लें। वे हैं--अश्वत्थामा, कृपाचार्य और यादव कृतवर्मा। माधव! अन्य सब नरेश मुझे लाल पगड़ी धारण किये दिखायी दिये हैं
sañjaya uvāca |
śvetōṣṇīṣāś ca dṛśyante traya ete janārdana |
dhārtarāṣṭreṣu sainyeṣu tān vijānīhi keśava ||
Sanjaya berkata: “Wahai Janardana! Dalam mimpiku, di antara bala tentera Dhritarashtra, aku hanya melihat tiga orang sahaja yang berhias dengan serban putih. Wahai Keshava, mohon kenalilah mereka dan sebutkan nama mereka kepadaku.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahabharata motif that moral disorder and impending violence are preceded by ominous signs. Dreams and symbols (here, the unusual white turbans among the Kaurava forces) function as ethical warnings: when adharma dominates, nature and the mind reflect foreboding, urging discernment and timely right action.
Sanjaya reports a dream to Krishna, saying that within the Kaurava armies he saw only three men wearing white turbans, and he asks Krishna to identify them. In the surrounding narration (as reflected in the Gita Press context), these three are understood to be Ashvatthama, Kripacharya, and Kritavarma, while others appear with red turbans—an ominous differentiation foreshadowing outcomes in the war.