Shloka 26
Ruru–Pramadvarā: Lineage, Fosterage, Betrothal, and the Snakebite Crisis (Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 8)
तां ते कन््यां व्यसुं दृष्टवा भुजड्स्य विषार्दिताम्,वे सब लोग उस कन्याको सर्पके विषसे पीड़ित हो प्राणशून्य हुई देख करुणावश रोने लगे। रुरु तो अत्यन्त आर्त होकर वहाँसे बाहर चला गया और शेष सभी द्विज उस समय वहीं बैठे रहे
tāṃ te kanyāṃ vyasuṃ dṛṣṭvā bhujaṅgasya viṣārditām | te sarve lokāḥ tāṃ kanyāṃ sarpaviṣapīḍitāṃ prāṇaśūnyāṃ dṛṣṭvā karuṇāvaśād roruvān | ruruḥ tu atyantam ārtaḥ san tataḥ sthānād bahiḥ nirgataḥ, śeṣāḥ sarve dvijāḥ tu tadā tatraiva niṣaṇṇāḥ babhūvuḥ |
فلما رأوا تلك الفتاة صريعةً لا روح فيها، قد أجهز عليها سمُّ الحيّة، غمرتهم الرحمة وانفجروا بالبكاء. أمّا رورو، وقد استبدّ به الأسى، فخرج من ذلك الموضع، بينما بقي سائر البراهمة جالسين هناك في تلك الساعة.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of harm caused by venomous violence and the natural dharmic response of compassion; it also foreshadows how grief can drive a person (Ruru) toward decisive action, reminding readers to act with care toward all beings and to recognize the consequences of injury and death.
A maiden has been killed by a serpent’s poison. Those present weep out of compassion. Ruru, overwhelmed by sorrow, leaves the place, while the other brahmins remain seated there.