दृष्ट्वा पाण्डुं च माद्रीं च शयानौ धरणीतले ॥
कुन्ती शोकपरीताङ्गी विललाप सुदुःखिता ॥
रक्ष्यमाणो मया नित्यं वीरः सततम् आत्मवान् ॥
कथं त्वम् अभ्यतिक्रान्तः शापं जानन् वनौकसः ॥
ननु नाम त्वया माद्रि रक्षितव्यो जनाधिपः ॥
सा कथं लोभितवती विजने त्वं नराधिपम् ॥
कथं दीनस्य सततं त्वाम् आसाद्य रहोगताम् ॥
तं विचिन्तयतः शापं प्रहर्षः समजायत ॥
धन्या त्वम् असि बाह्लीकि मत्तो भाग्यतरा तथा ॥
दृष्टवत्य् असि यद् वक्त्रं प्रहृष्टस्य महीपतेः ॥
dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍuṃ ca mādrīṃ ca śayānau dharaṇītale ||
kuntī śokaparītāṅgī vilalāpa suduḥkhitā ||
rakṣyamāṇo mayā nityaṃ vīraḥ satatam ātmavān ||
kathaṃ tvam abhyatikrāntaḥ śāpaṃ jānan vanaukasaḥ ||
nanu nāma tvayā mādri rakṣitavyo janādhipaḥ ||
sā kathaṃ lobhitavatī vijane tvaṃ narādhipam ||
kathaṃ dīnasya satataṃ tvām āsādya rahogatām ||
taṃ vicintayataḥ śāpaṃ praharṣaḥ samajāyata ||
dhanyā tvam asi bāhlīki matto bhāgyatarā tathā ||
dṛṣṭavaty asi yad vaktraṃ prahṛṣṭasya mahīpateḥ ||
"Having seen Pandu and Madri lying on the ground, Kunti, her body seized by grief, wailed, deeply anguished: 'The hero, ever guarded by me, always master of himself -- how did you transgress, knowing the curse of the forest-dweller? Surely it was for you, Madri, to guard the lord of men; how then did you tempt the sovereign, alone as you were? How, in him who was ever afflicted, mindful of that curse, having come upon you alone, could such excitement have arisen? Blessed are you, O Bahlika, and more fortunate than I, for you have seen the face of the sovereign in the moment of his joy.'"
d78ea58f646d · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:41:49 PM UTC
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Here Kunti's sorrow pours out in reproach and bitter envy. It is telling that she blames both her husband ("how did you transgress, knowing the curse?") and Madri ("it was for you to guard him"). Herein lies the scripture's truthfulness, which does not gloss over grief: in the hour of loss, both reproach and pain break forth. Telling, too, are her final words -- "you are more fortunate than I, for you saw his face in joy": even in sorrow, the wife in Kunti speaks, envying that her husband's last joy fell to her rival. This is a deeply human, unidealized portrait: grief lays bare both love and hidden jealousy at once. So the scripture reveals the living soul of Kunti -- and even in her very weakness the genuineness of her love for the fallen king is made known.