Shloka 3
Janmaveśma-praveśa and Uttarā’s Śaraṇāgati
Entry into the Birth-Chamber and Uttarā’s Appeal
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! कुन्तीदेवीके बैठ जानेपर सुभद्रा अपने भाई श्रीकृष्णणी ओर देखकर फूट-फ़ूटकर रोने लगी और दु:ःखसे आर्त होकर यों बोली --
vaiśampāyana uvāca—janamejaya! kuntīdevy upaviṣṭāyāṃ subhadrā svaṃ bhrātaraṃ śrīkṛṣṇaṃ nirīkṣya prarudatī duḥkhārtā cedam uvāca—iṣīkā droṇaputreṇa bhīmasenārtham udyatā | sāttarāyāṃ nipatitā vijaye mayi caiva ha ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “Ó Janamejaya! Quando a rainha Kuntī se sentou, Subhadrā, voltando-se para o seu irmão Śrī Kṛṣṇa, rompeu em pranto. Oprimida pela dor, disse: ‘O projétil, como uma haste de caniço, que o filho de Droṇa, Aśvatthāmā, ergueu com a intenção de matar Bhīmasena, caiu sobre Uttarā—sobre Vijaya, teu companheiro—e caiu também sobre mim.’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral shock of misdirected or uncontrolled violence: a weapon raised with one intent ends up harming others, intensifying grief and raising ethical questions about responsibility in war and its aftermath.
After Kuntī sits, Subhadrā turns to Kṛṣṇa and breaks down, reporting that Aśvatthāman’s reed-like missile—raised to strike Bhīma—has instead fallen upon Uttarā, upon a companion named Vijaya, and upon herself, signaling a tragic turn and escalating lament.