Shloka 41
Kuntī’s Prayers and the Neutralization of the Brahmāstra
Uttarā Protected; Yudhiṣṭhira’s Grief Begins
अथ विश्वेश विश्वात्मन् विश्वमूर्ते स्वकेषु मे । स्नेहपाशमिमं छिन्धि दृढं पाण्डुषु वृष्णिषु ॥ ४१ ॥
atha viśveśa viśvātman viśva-mūrte svakeṣu me sneha-pāśam imaṁ chindhi dṛḍhaṁ pāṇḍuṣu vṛṣṇiṣu
اے ربِّ کائنات، اے روحِ کائنات، اے کائنات کی صورت! پاندَووں اور وِرِشنیوں—میرے اپنے لوگوں—کے ساتھ میرا یہ مضبوط رشتۂ محبت، کرم فرما کر کاٹ دیجئے۔
A pure devotee of the Lord is ashamed to ask anything in self-interest from the Lord. But the householders are sometimes obliged to ask favors from the Lord, being bound by the tie of family affection. Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī was conscious of this fact, and therefore she prayed to the Lord to cut off the affectionate tie from her own kinsmen, the Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis. The Pāṇḍavas are her own sons, and the Vṛṣṇis are the members of her paternal family. Kṛṣṇa was equally related to both the families. Both the families required the Lord’s help because both were dependent devotees of the Lord. Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī wished Śrī Kṛṣṇa to remain with her sons the Pāṇḍavas, but by His doing so her paternal house would be bereft of the benefit. All these partialities troubled the mind of Kuntī, and therefore she desired to cut off the affectionate tie.
FAQs
In this verse, Queen Kuntī prays to Kṛṣṇa to cut the ‘sneha-pāśa’—the binding noose of affection—even for her beloved Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis, showing that pure devotion seeks freedom from possessive attachment.
After Kṛṣṇa’s protection of the Pāṇḍavas, Kuntī recognizes that deep worldly attachment can obstruct exclusive surrender; she asks the Lord to remove even sacred family-attachment so her heart rests fully in Him.
Serve family sincerely, but reduce possessiveness—remembering loved ones as belonging to God—while strengthening daily prayer, remembrance, and offering one’s duties to Kṛṣṇa.