Mahabharata — Ashramavasika Parva, Shloka 7
Gāndhārī’s Petition for a Vision of the Departed (गान्धार्याः प्रार्थना—दिव्यदर्शनप्रसङ्गः)
पृथामेव च शोचामि या पुत्रैश्चर्यमृद्धिमत् । उत्सृज्य सुमहद् दीप्तं वनवासमरोचयत्
pṛthām eva ca śocāmi yā putraiś caryam ṛddhimat | utsṛjya sumahad dīptaṃ vanavāsam arocayat ||
Ngunit si Pṛthā (Kuntī) ang higit kong ipinagluluksa—siya na, bagaman ang kanyang mga anak ay nasa kahanga-hangang kasaganaan at maningning na kapangyarihan, itinakwil ang dakilang karangyaan at pinili ang buhay sa gubat.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical grandeur of renunciation: even when legitimate prosperity and royal splendor are available through one’s children, choosing austere forest-life can be an expression of dharma, detachment, and moral resolve—worthy of deep respect and poignant grief.
In the Āśramavāsika context, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects sorrowfully on Kuntī, emphasizing that she voluntarily abandoned the bright, great royal comfort available through her victorious sons and preferred to live in the forest, intensifying his lament.
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