~ 47. Queen Satyavati Departs ~


The aged Queen Satyavati was dismayed to see such strife among her great-grandsons, the sons of Pandu and the sons of Dhritarashtra. 
"All my life I worked for the success of this family," she said, "but now I see the sons of the sons of my son quarreling with each other like dogs fighting over scraps in the street. I cannot bear it. I am going to retire into the forest."
The widows of Vichitravirya, Ambika and Ambalika, departed together with her. No one ever saw them again.
Kunti and Gandhari were then the elders among the ladies of Hastinapura.


Inspired by: Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharataby Devdutt Pattanaik.
Notes: This story is on p. 67. In other versions of the story, Satyavati departs for the forest as soon as she learns that Pandu has died, but I like the idea that she was in despair over the quarrel among the sons of Pandu and the sons of Dhritarashtra.



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