Shloka 40

Devanagari script

इत्युवाच हि मां कुन्ती रुदती पुत्रगृद्धिनी । प्रत्रजन्तं महारण्यं तं परिष्वज्य तिषछतती,मुझे स्मरण है, जब सहदेव महान्‌ वनमें आने लगे, उस समय पुत्रवत्सला माता कुन्ती उन्हें हृदयसे लगाकर खड़ी हो गयीं और रोती हुई मुझसे यों कहने लगीं--“याज्ञसेनी! सहदेव बड़ा लज्जाशील, मधुरभाषी और धार्मिक है। यह मुझे अत्यन्त प्रिय है। इसे वनमें रात्रिके समय तुम स्वयं सँभालकर (हाथ पकड़कर) ले जाना, क्योंकि यह सुकुमार है (सम्भव है, थकावटके कारण चल न सके)। मेरा सहदेव शूरवीर, राजा युधिष्ठिरका भक्त, अपने बड़े भाईका पुजारी और वीर है। पाञज्चालराजकुमारी! तुम इसे अपने हाथों भोजन कराना

Transliteration

ity uvāca hi māṃ Kuntī rudatī putragṛddhinī | pratrajantaṃ mahāraṇyaṃ taṃ pariṣvajya tiṣṭhatī ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Kuntī đã nói với ta như thế—nàng khóc, lòng bám víu vào các con. Ôm chặt chàng khi chàng sắp lên đường vào đại lâm, nàng đứng đó mà thốt lời.”

Word by Word

इतिthus

उवाचsaid

हिindeed/for

माम्me

कुन्तीKunti

रुदतीweeping

पुत्रगृद्धिनीyearning for her son(s)

प्रत्रजन्तम्going forth/setting out

महारण्यंthe great forest

तम्him

परिष्वज्यhaving embraced

तिष्ठतीstood/stands

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Kuntī

Sahadeva (implied by the accompanying narrative context)

Mahāraṇya (great forest)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores dharma as care: even amid political danger and displacement, the ethical center is compassion and responsibility—especially a mother’s protective duty and the community’s obligation to safeguard those who are tender or vulnerable.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports that Kuntī, crying and deeply attached to her sons, embraces the departing son as he sets out for the great forest and speaks to the listener—introducing her instructions and concerns that follow in the surrounding passage.