Shloka 5
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानम् — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Departure for Forest Life
अचिन्तयंश्व जननीं ततस्ते पाण्डुनन्दना: । कथं नु वृद्धमिथुनं वहत्यतिकृशा पृथा
acintayaṃś ca jananīṃ tatas te pāṇḍu-nandanāḥ | kathaṃ nu vṛddha-mithunaṃ vahaty ati-kṛśā pṛthā ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Pagkaraan, ang mga anak ni Pāṇḍu, na balisang iniisip ang kanilang ina, ay nagtanong sa sarili: ‘Paano makakaya ni Pṛthā (Kuntī)—na napakahina at napakapayat—na alalayan at samahan ang matandang mag-asawang iyon?’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma expressed as compassion and responsibility: even amid renunciation and hardship, the moral impulse to protect and care for one’s mother and elders remains central.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the Pāṇḍavas, thinking of their mother Pṛthā (Kuntī), worry about her physical frailty and question how she can manage to support and accompany an elderly couple during their difficult forest life.