Shloka 18
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
मातरौ ते तथैवेमे शीर्णपर्णकृताशने । मम तुल्यव्रते पुत्र न चिरं वर्तयिष्यत:
mātarau te tathaiveme śīrṇaparṇakṛtāśane | mama tulyavrate putra na ciraṁ vartayiṣyataḥ ||
قال فايشَمبايانا: «وأمّاك الاثنتان كذلك، تعيشان على نذرٍ كنذري، تتقوّتان بمضغ الأوراق الذابلة. يا بُنيّ، لن تقدرا على إبقاء الحياة طويلًا.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharma of ascetic restraint: steadfast vows and simple subsistence can embody spiritual resolve, yet they also remind one of bodily impermanence. Ethical maturity lies in honoring such renunciation while recognizing the limits of the human frame.
Vaiśampāyana reports that the listener’s two mothers are living in the forest under severe vows, eating only withered leaves like the speaker. He adds a grave warning that they are unlikely to survive much longer under such austerity.