Shloka 30
पाण्डोः श्राद्धं, सत्यवत्याः वनगमनम्, बाल्यस्पर्धा च
Pāṇḍu’s Śrāddha, Satyavatī’s Withdrawal, and Childhood Rivalry
यदि चावां महाप्राज्ञ त्यक्ष्यसि त्वं विशाम्पते । अद्यैवावां प्रहास्यावो जीवितं नात्र संशय:,“महाप्राज्ञ नरेश्वर! यदि आप हम दोनोंको त्याग देंगे तो आज ही हम अपने प्राणोंका परित्याग कर देंगी, इसमें संशय नहीं है”
yadi cāvāṃ mahāprājña tyakṣyasi tvaṃ viśāṃpate | adyaivāvāṃ prahāsyāvo jīvitaṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „O hochweiser Herr des Volkes, wenn du uns beide verstößt, dann werden wir noch heute unser Leben aufgeben—daran besteht kein Zweifel.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic expectation that a ruler must not abandon those who depend on him; it also shows how appeals to duty can become coercive when framed as a threat of self-destruction.
Two individuals (speaking in the dual) address a king as ‘lord of the people’ and declare that if he forsakes them, they will renounce life that very day, asserting absolute certainty to intensify their plea.