Shloka 58
धृतराष्ट्रो5थ राजा55सीत् तस्य पुत्रो5थ कुण्डिक: । हस्ती वितर्क: क्राथश्व कुण्डिनश्वापि पडचम:
Dhṛtarāṣṭro ’tha rājāsīt, tasya putro ’tha Kuṇḍikaḥ | Hastī Vitarkaḥ Krāthaśvaḥ Kuṇḍinaś cāpi pañcamaḥ ||
ਫਿਰ ਧ੍ਰਿਤਰਾਸ਼ਟਰ ਰਾਜਾ ਬਣਿਆ। ਉਸ ਦਾ ਪੁੱਤਰ ਕੁੰਡਿਕ ਸੀ; ਅਤੇ (ਹੋਰ) ਹਸਤੀ, ਵਿਤਰਕ, ਕ੍ਰਾਥਸ਼ਵ, ਅਤੇ ਪੰਜਵਾਂ ਕੁੰਡਿਨ ਵੀ ਸਨ।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reinforces the Mahābhārata’s concern with rightful succession and the continuity of responsibility through lineage: kingship is not merely power but a duty transmitted across generations, shaping the ethical and political order.
Vaiśampāyana is listing a sequence in a royal genealogy: Dhṛtarāṣṭra becomes king, and several names are given as his son(s)/descendants—Kuṇḍika and others—continuing the dynastic catalogue that frames later events.