Text 41] Questions by Vidura 41
in-law, Kuntidevi. It is understood that Maharaja Pandu was a great
warrior and that he alone, with the help of bow and arrow, could conquer
the world’s four directions. In the absence of such a husband, it was
almost impossible for Kunti to live on even as a widow, but she had to do
it for the sake of the five children.
TEXT 41
aearaaa aa Taed
mt ata figat a: |
we BY «aAaAdA vl
saumyanusoce tam adhah-patantam
bhratre paretaya vidudruhe yah
niryapito yena suhrt sva-purya
aham sva-putran samanuvratena
saumya—O gentle one; anusoce—just lamenting; tam—him; adhah-
patantam— gliding down; bhratre—on his brother’s; paretaya— death; vidud-
ruhe—revolted against; yah—one who; niryapitah—driven out; yena—by
whom; suhrt—well-wisher; sva-puryah—from his own house; aham— myself;
sva-putran—with his own sons; samanuvratena—accepting the same line of
action.
TRANSLATION
O gentle one, I simply lament for him [Dhrtarastra] who rebelled
against his brother after death. By him | was driven out of my own house,
although I am his sincere well-wisher. He did this by accepting the line of
action adopted by his own sons.
PURPORT
Vidura did not ask about the welfare of his elder brother because there
was no chance of his well-being, only news of his gliding down to hell.
Vidura was a sincere well-wisher for Dhrtarastra, and he had a thought
about him in the corner of his heart. He lamented that Dhrtarastra could
rebel against the sons of his dead brother Pandu and that he could drive
him (Vidura) out of his own house on the dictation of his crooked sons.
In spite of these actions, Vidura never became an enemy of Dhrtarastra
but continued to be his well-wisher, and at the last stage of Dhrtaragstra’s
