वैशंपायन उवाच
ततः कुन्तीं पुनः पाण्डुर् विविक्त इदम् अब्रवीत् ॥
कुलस्य मम संतानं लोकस्य च कुरु प्रियम् ॥
मम चापिण्डनाशाय पूर्वेषाम् अपि चात्मनः ॥
मत्प्रियार्थं च कल्याणि कुरु कल्याणम् उत्तमम् ॥
यशसो ऽर्थाय चैव त्वं कुरु कर्म सुदुष्करम् ॥
प्राप्याधिपत्यम् इन्द्रेण यज्ञैर् इष्टं यशोर्थिना ॥
तथा मन्त्रविदो विप्रास् तपस् तप्त्वा सुदुष्करम् ॥
गुरून् अभ्युपगच्छन्ति यशसो ऽर्थाय भामिनि ॥
तथा राजर्षयः सर्वे ब्राह्मणाश् च तपोधनाः ॥
चक्रुर् उच्चावचं कर्म यशसो ऽर्थाय दुष्करम् ॥
सा त्वं माद्रीं प्लवेनेव तारयेमाम् अनिन्दिते ॥
अपत्यसंविभागेन परां कीर्तिम् अवाप्नुहि ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tataḥ kuntīṃ punaḥ pāṇḍur vivikta idam abravīt ||
kulasya mama saṃtānaṃ lokasya ca kuru priyam ||
mama cāpiṇḍanāśāya pūrveṣām api cātmanaḥ ||
matpriyārthaṃ ca kalyāṇi kuru kalyāṇam uttamam ||
yaśaso 'rthāya caiva tvaṃ kuru karma suduṣkaram ||
prāpyādhipatyam indreṇa yajñair iṣṭaṃ yaśorthinā ||
tathā mantravido viprās tapas taptvā suduṣkaram ||
gurūn abhyupagacchanti yaśaso 'rthāya bhāmini ||
tathā rājarṣayaḥ sarve brāhmaṇāś ca tapodhanāḥ ||
cakrur uccāvacaṃ karma yaśaso 'rthāya duṣkaram ||
sā tvaṃ mādrīṃ plaveneva tārayemām anindite ||
apatyasaṃvibhāgena parāṃ kīrtim avāpnuhi ||
"Then Pandu spoke again to Kunti in private: 'Bring about the continuation of my line and the good of the world; and for the unceasing continuance of the ancestral offerings to me, to our forefathers, and to yourself, and for my joy, O gracious one, perform this highest good deed. And for the sake of glory perform this most difficult deed: having attained sovereignty, Indra, desiring glory, offered sacrifices; so too the brahmins, knowers of the mantras, having performed the hardest austerities, approach their teachers for the sake of glory, O lovely one; so too all the royal sages and the ascetic brahmins performed manifold difficult deeds for the sake of glory. So do you carry Madri across her childlessness, as if by a raft, O blameless one, and by sharing the means to offspring, attain the highest glory.'"
6317d135102f · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:41:49 PM UTC
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Here Pandu implores Kunti to show generosity toward her rival. It is telling what he appeals to: not to her own advantage, but to the glory won by a good deed -- just as Indra and the ascetics performed difficult things "for the sake of glory." True glory is won not by self-interest but by selflessness: sharing with a rival wife so intimate a gift is a deed that overcomes jealousy, and is glorious precisely for that. Telling, too, is the comparison "carry Madri across, as if by a raft": mercy toward the childless is likened to rescuing one who is drowning. Thus the scripture elevates generosity toward a rival to the level of a great deed, and Pandu appears as a peacemaker, concerned that both wives should know the joy of motherhood.