Shloka 16
कुन्तीनिवर्तनप्रयत्नः तथा वननिवासप्रारम्भः
Attempt to Dissuade Kuntī; Commencement of Forest Residence
एतास्तु सीमन्तशिरोरुहा या: शुक्लोत्तरीया नरराजपत्न्यः । राज्ञोअस्य वृद्धस्य परं शताख्या: स््नुषा नृवीराहतपुत्रनाथा:
etāstu sīmantaśiroruhā yāḥ śuklottarīyā nararājapatnyaḥ | rājño 'sya vṛddhasya paraṃ śatākhyāḥ snuṣā nṛvīrāhataputranāthāḥ ||
三阇耶说道：“此外，这些女子——诸王之妻——裹着白衣而坐，发分与头顶已无婚姻吉祥之记。她们是这位老王的儿媳，被称为‘百子’者之媳：即百兄弟之妻。她们的丈夫与儿子——生命所依——皆为英勇战士所杀于战场。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical and existential cost of war: royal power and lineage culminate in bereavement, and the social markers of auspicious married life give way to the stark signs of mourning. It invites reflection on impermanence and the human consequences that follow adharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya points out a group of women in mourning—clad in white—identifying them as the daughters-in-law of the aged king, i.e., the wives connected with the ‘hundred’ Kauravas. He notes that their husbands and sons have been killed in the war by heroic fighters.