Shloka 32
आदि पर्व (अध्याय १२७) — रङ्गे कर्णस्य अवमानः, दुर्योधनस्य प्रतिपक्ष-निवृत्तिः, मैत्री-स्थापनम् / Ādi Parva (Chapter 127) — Karṇa’s Public Humiliation, Duryodhana’s Intervention, and the Formation of Alliance
तद्गतानन्दमस्वस्थमाकुमारमहृष्टवत् । बभूव पाण्डवै: सार्ध नगरं द्वादश क्षपा:,राजन! बारह रात्रियोंतक जिस प्रकार बन्धु-बान्धवों-सहित पाण्डव भूमिपर सोये, उसी प्रकार ब्राह्मण आदि नागरिक भी धरतीपर ही सोते रहे। उतने दिनोंतक हस्तिनापुर नगर पाण्डवोंके साथ आनन्द और हर्षोल्लाससे शून्य रहा। बूढ़ोंसे लेकर बच्चेतक सभी वहाँ दुःखमें डूबे रहे। सारा नगर ही अस्वस्थचित्त हो गया था
tad-gatānandam asvastham ā-kumāra-mahṛṣṭavat | babhūva pāṇḍavaiḥ sārdhaṁ nagaraṁ dvādaśa kṣapāḥ, rājan |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O König, zwölf Nächte lang blieb die Stadt zusammen mit den Pāṇḍavas freudlos und innerlich verstört. Von den Kindern bis zu den Greisen waren alle in Kummer versunken; der Geist der ganzen Stadt schien krank, als wäre ihr Glück mit ihnen fortgegangen.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical idea that a ruler’s or leading family’s misfortune is not merely private: it affects the moral and emotional health of the whole community. When the righteous are distressed or displaced, society itself becomes 'asvastha'—unsettled and joyless—showing the interdependence between leadership, dharma, and public well-being.
Vaiśampāyana describes a period of twelve nights during which the city (Hastināpura, in context) remains without joy, sharing the Pāṇḍavas’ sorrow. The citizens—from children to elders—are overwhelmed by grief, and the city is portrayed as collectively disturbed, reflecting solidarity with the Pāṇḍavas’ plight.