Shloka 12
कुन्तीनिवर्तनप्रयत्नः तथा वननिवासप्रारम्भः
Attempt to Dissuade Kuntī; Commencement of Forest Residence
इयं स्वसा राजचमूपतेश्न प्रवृद्धनीलोत्पलदामवर्णा | पस्पर्ध कृष्णेन सदा नूपो यो वृकोदरस्यैष परिग्रहो5ग्रय:
iyaṁ svasā rāja-camū-pateḥ sma pravṛddha-nīlotpala-dāma-varṇā | paspardha kṛṣṇena sadā nṛpo yo vṛkodarasya eṣa parigraho ’gryaḥ ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: “Ang ginang na ito—maitim na gaya ng kuwintas na yari sa ganap na namumulaklak na bughaw na lotus—ay kapatid ng haring iyon, ang kumander ng mga hukbong maharlika na laging may lakas-loob na makipagsabayan kay Kṛṣṇa. Siya ang pangunahing asawa ni 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.