Kunti Explains Why She Roused Her Sons

Verse 1 (15.18.1)

एवमेतन्महाबाहो यथा वदसि पाण्डवः । कृतमुद्धरणं पूर्वं मया वः सीदतां नृपाः ॥

evametanmahābāho yathā vadasi pāṇḍavaḥ | kṛtamuddharaṇaṃ pūrvaṃ mayā vaḥ sīdatāṃ nṛpāḥ

Kunti said: "It is just as you say, mighty-armed Pandava. I did indeed lift you up in the past, when you, O kings, were sinking.

Verse 2 (15.18.2)

द्यूतापहृतराज्यानां पतितानां सुखादपि । ज्ञातिभिः परिभूतानां कृतमुद्धरणं मया ॥

dyūtāpahṛtarājyānāṃ patitānāṃ sukhādapi | jñātibhiḥ paribhūtānāṃ kṛtamuddharaṇaṃ mayā

When you had lost your kingdom at the dice, had fallen from comfort and were scorned by your kinsmen, I lifted you up.

Verse 3 (15.18.3)

कथं पाण्डोर्न नश्येत संततिः पुरुषर्षभाः । यशश्च वो न नश्येत इति चोद्धरणं कृतम् ॥

kathaṃ pāṇḍorna naśyeta saṃtatiḥ puruṣarṣabhāḥ | yaśaśca vo na naśyeta iti coddharaṇaṃ kṛtam

‘How may Pandu's line not perish, O bulls among men, and how may your fame not perish?’ — with this thought I lifted you up.

Verse 4 (15.18.4)

यूयमिन्द्रसमाः सर्वे देवतुल्यपराक्रमाः । मा परेषां मुखप्रेक्षाः स्थेत्येवं तत्कृतं मया ॥

yūyamindrasamāḥ sarve devatulyaparākramāḥ | mā pareṣāṃ mukhaprekṣāḥ sthetyevaṃ tatkṛtaṃ mayā

‘You are all like Indra, with a valour equal to the gods; do not look to the faces of others’ — so I acted.

Verse 5 (15.18.5)

कथं धर्मभृतां श्रेष्ठो राजा त्वं वासवोपमः । पुनर्वने न दुःखी स्या इति चोद्धरणं कृतम् ॥

kathaṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ śreṣṭho rājā tvaṃ vāsavopamaḥ | punarvane na duḥkhī syā iti coddharaṇaṃ kṛtam

‘How may you, the king, best of those who uphold dharma, like Vasava, not suffer in the forest again?’ — with this thought I lifted you up.

Verse 6 (15.18.6)

नागायुतसमप्राणः ख्यातविक्रमपौरुषः । नायं भीमोऽत्ययं गच्छेदिति चोद्धरणं कृतम् ॥

nāgāyutasamaprāṇaḥ khyātavikramapauruṣaḥ | nāyaṃ bhīmo'tyayaṃ gacchediti coddharaṇaṃ kṛtam

‘This Bhima, with the strength of ten thousand elephants, famed for valour and manhood, must not come to ruin’ — with this thought I lifted you up.

Note on the text: Corrected भीमोत्ययं → भीमोऽत्ययं (misprint in Wikisource; missing avagraha; CE bhīmo 'tyayaṃ).

Verse 7 (15.18.7)

भीमसेनादवरजस्तथाऽयं वासवोपमः । विजयो नावसीदेत इति चोद्धरणं कृतम् ॥

bhīmasenādavarajastathā'yaṃ vāsavopamaḥ | vijayo nāvasīdeta iti coddharaṇaṃ kṛtam

‘And this Vijaya, younger than Bhimasena and like Indra, must not despair’ — with this thought I lifted you up.

Verse 8 (15.18.8)

नकुलः सहदेवश्च तथेमौ गुरुवर्तिनौ । क्षुधा कथं न सीदेतामिति चोद्धरणं कृतम् ॥

nakulaḥ sahadevaśca tathemau guruvartinau | kṣudhā kathaṃ na sīdetāmiti coddharaṇaṃ kṛtam

‘How may Nakula and Sahadeva, these two devoted to their elders, not suffer from hunger?’ — with this thought I lifted you up.

Verse 9 (15.18.9)

इयं च बृहती श्यामा तथाऽत्यायतलोचना । वृथा सभातले क्लिष्टा मा भूदिति च तत्कृतं ॥

iyaṃ ca bṛhatī śyāmā tathā'tyāyatalocanā | vṛthā sabhātale kliṣṭā mā bhūditi ca tatkṛtaṃ

‘This tall, dark-skinned, long-eyed woman must not be tormented for nothing in the hall of the assembly’ — that too was why I did it.

Verse 10 (15.18.10)

अपेक्षतामेव वो भीम वेपन्तीं कदलीमिव । स्त्रीधर्मिणीमरिष्टाङ्गीं तथा द्यूतपराजिताम् ॥

apekṣatāmeva vo bhīma vepantīṃ kadalīmiva | strīdharmiṇīmariṣṭāṅgīṃ tathā dyūtaparājitām

While you all looked on, Bhima, she, trembling like a plantain tree, faithful to the duty of a woman, with unblemished limbs, was lost at the dice.

Note on the text: Wikisource reads अपेक्षतामेव वो भीम (the page footnote records the variant पश्यन्त्या मे तथा भीतां वेपन्तीम्) and स्त्रीधर्मिणीमरिष्टाङ्गीम् where the critical edition has prekṣantyā me tadā hīmāṃ and strīdharmiṇīm anindyāṅgīm (recension variants, kept).

Verse 11 (15.18.11)

दुःशासनो यदा मौर्ख्याद्दासीवत्पर्यकर्षत । तदैव विदितं मह्यं पराभूतमिदं कुलम् ॥

duḥśāsano yadā maurkhyāddāsīvatparyakarṣata | tadaiva viditaṃ mahyaṃ parābhūtamidaṃ kulam

When Duhshasana in his folly dragged her about like a slave woman, then I knew that this family had been brought low.

Verse 12 (15.18.12)

निषण्णाः कुरवश्चैव तदा मे श्वशुरादयः । सा दैवं नाथमिच्छन्ती व्यलपत्कुररी यथा ॥

niṣaṇṇāḥ kuravaścaiva tadā me śvaśurādayaḥ | sā daivaṃ nāthamicchantī vyalapatkurarī yathā

The Kurus, my father-in-law and the rest, sat dejected then, while she, longing for a protector in fate, wailed like an osprey.

Note on the text: Wikisource reads निषण्णाः … सा दैवं नाथमिच्छन्ती where the critical edition has viṣaṇṇāḥ … yadaiṣā nātham icchantī (recension variant, kept).

Verse 13 (15.18.13)

केशपक्षे परामृष्टा पापेन हतबुद्धिना । यदा दुःशासनेनैषा तदा मुह्याम्यहं नृपाः ॥

keśapakṣe parāmṛṣṭā pāpena hatabuddhinā | yadā duḥśāsanenaiṣā tadā muhyāmyahaṃ nṛpāḥ

When she was seized by the hair by Duhshasana, evil and dull-minded, then I was bewildered, O kings.

Note on the text: Corrected पापेन् → पापेन (misprint in Wikisource; stray halanta).

Verse 14 (15.18.14)

युष्मत्तेजोविवृद्ध्यर्थं मया ह्युद्धरणं कृतम् । तदानीं विदुलावाक्यैरिति तद्वित्त पुत्रकाः ॥

yuṣmattejovivṛddhyarthaṃ mayā hyuddharaṇaṃ kṛtam | tadānīṃ vidulāvākyairiti tadvitta putrakāḥ

It was to increase your vigour that I lifted you up then, with Vidula's words; know this, my sons.

Note on the text: Corrected विवृद्ध्यर्तं → विवृद्ध्यर्थं (misprint in Wikisource; त for थ; CE vivṛddhyarthaṃ).

Verse 15 (15.18.15)

कथं न राजवंशोऽयं नश्येत्प्राप्य सुतान्मम । पाण्डोरिति मया पुत्र तस्मादुद्धरणं कृतम् ॥

kathaṃ na rājavaṃśo'yaṃ naśyetprāpya sutānmama | pāṇḍoriti mayā putra tasmāduddharaṇaṃ kṛtam

‘How may this royal house not perish, now that it has got my sons, Pandu's?’ — so, my son, I did the lifting up.

Note on the text: Corrected पुत्रस्तस्मादुद्धरणं → पुत्र तस्मादुद्धरणं (misprint in Wikisource; the vocative पुत्र is required; CE putra tasmād uddharṣaṇaṃ).

Verse 16 (15.18.16)

न तस्य पुत्राः पौत्रा वा क्षतवंशस्य पार्थिव । लभते सुकृताँल्लोकान्यस्माद्वंशः प्रणश्यति ॥

na tasya putrāḥ pautrā vā kṣatavaṃśasya pārthiva | labhate sukṛtām̐llokānyasmādvaṃśaḥ praṇaśyati

For one whose line is cut off there are no sons or grandsons, O king; he gains no worlds of merit, because his family perishes.

Note on the text: Corrected लभ्ते → लभते (misprint in Wikisource; dropped syllable; CE labhate). Wikisource reads न तस्य पुत्राः पौत्रा वा क्षतवंशस्य where the critical edition has na tasya putraḥ pautrau vā kuta eva sa (recension variant, kept).

Verse 17 (15.18.17)

भुक्तं राज्यफलं पुत्रा भर्तुर्मे विपुलं पुरा । महादानानि दत्तानि पीतः सोमो यथाविधि ॥

bhuktaṃ rājyaphalaṃ putrā bharturme vipulaṃ purā | mahādānāni dattāni pītaḥ somo yathāvidhi

In the past, sons, I enjoyed the great fruit of my husband's kingship; great gifts were given and soma was drunk as ordained.

Verse 18 (15.18.18)

नाहमात्मफलार्थं वै वासुदेवमचूचुदम् । विदुलायाः प्रलापैस्तैः पालनार्थं च तत्कृतम् ॥

nāhamātmaphalārthaṃ vai vāsudevamacūcudam | vidulāyāḥ pralāpaistaiḥ pālanārthaṃ ca tatkṛtam

It was not for any gain of my own that I urged Vasudeva on; by those exhortations of Vidula I did it for the protection of the line.

Note on the text: Wikisource reads नाहमात्मफलार्थं वै … पालनार्थं च where the critical edition has sāhaṃ nātmaphalārthaṃ vai … plāvanārthaṃ tu (recension variant, kept).

Verse 19 (15.18.19)

नाहं राज्यफलं पुत्राः कामये पुत्रनिर्जितम् । पतिलोकानहं पुण्यान्कामये तपसा विभो ॥

nāhaṃ rājyaphalaṃ putrāḥ kāmaye putranirjitam | patilokānahaṃ puṇyānkāmaye tapasā vibho

I do not desire, sons, the fruit of a kingdom won by my sons; by austerity I desire the holy worlds of my husband, O lord.

Note on the text: Corrected पिभो → विभो (misprint in Wikisource; CE vibho).

Verse 20 (15.18.20)

श्वश्रूश्वशुरयोः कृत्वा शुश्रूषां वनवासिनोः । तपसा शोषयिष्यामि युधिष्ठिर कलेवरम् ॥

śvaśrūśvaśurayoḥ kṛtvā śuśrūṣāṃ vanavāsinoḥ | tapasā śoṣayiṣyāmi yudhiṣṭhira kalevaram

Having served my mother-in-law and father-in-law who live in the forest, I shall wither this body with austerity, Yudhishthira.

Verse 21 (15.18.21)

निवर्तस्व कुरुश्रेष्ठ भीमसेनादिभिः सह । धर्मे ते धीयतां बुद्धिर्मनस्तु महदस्तु च ॥

nivartasva kuruśreṣṭha bhīmasenādibhiḥ saha | dharme te dhīyatāṃ buddhirmanastu mahadastu ca

Turn back, best of the Kurus, with Bhimasena and the others; let your mind be set on dharma, and may your heart be great."

Note on the text: Wikisource reads मनस्तु महदस्तु च where the critical edition has manas te mahad astu ca (recension variant, kept).