Shloka 31
Adhyāya 125: Raṅga-pradarśana — Arjuna’s Entry and Astric Demonstration (रङ्गप्रदर्शनम्)
वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्युक्त्वा तं चिताग्निस्थं धर्मपत्नी नरर्षभम् । मद्रराजसुता तूर्णमन्वारोहदू यशस्विनी
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ity uktvā taṃ citāgnisthaṃ dharmapatnī nararṣabham | madrarājasutā tūrṇam anvārohād yaśasvinī ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: Nói xong như vậy, Mādrī—ái nữ của vua xứ Madra, người vợ chính thất, rạng danh—liền mau chóng bước lên giàn hỏa táng theo sau Pāṇḍu, bậc trượng phu kiệt xuất, khi thi hài ngài đang nằm giữa ngọn lửa của giàn thiêu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic’s portrayal of dharma through the ideal of the dharmapatnī—one who remains bound to her husband by a socially sanctioned ethic of fidelity—even at the cost of her own life, while implicitly inviting reflection on the weight and consequences of such vows and choices.
After speaking (contextually, to Kuntī and others), Mādrī, the Madra princess and Pāṇḍu’s wife, climbs onto the funeral pyre where Pāṇḍu’s body lies in the pyre-fire, choosing to die with him.