Shloka 37
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
तस्यां द्वादशवार्षिक्यामनावृष्ट्यां महर्षय:
tasyāṁ dvādaśavārṣikyām anāvṛṣṭyāṁ maharṣayaḥ
قال فايشَمبايانا: في تلك السنين الاثنتي عشرة من القحط، ابتُلي الحكماء العظام (المهارِشي) مع العالم كله—حادثةٌ تُصوِّر المعاناة امتحانًا جماعيًا، وتُبرز الإلحاح الأخلاقي لصون الدارما (dharma) حين تحجب الطبيعة عونها.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse signals that prolonged drought is not merely a physical calamity but a dharmic crisis affecting even sages; it underscores the ethical demand to preserve right conduct, compassion, and social responsibility when resources collapse.
Vaiśampāyana introduces a setting of a twelve-year rainless period (anāvṛṣṭi), indicating widespread distress in which the maharṣis too are involved—preparing the listener for events shaped by famine conditions.