Shloka 28
Vyāsa’s Counsel to the Concealed Pāṇḍavas; Śaṃkara’s Boon and the Predestination of Draupadī
Chapter 157
स्वर्गतोडपि पिता वृद्धस्तथा माता चिरं तव । बान्धवा भूतपूर्वाश्च तत्र वासे तु का रति:,अरी! तुम्हारे बूढ़े माता-पिता और पहलेके भाई-बन्धु जिसे छोड़कर बहुत दिन हुए स्वर्गलोकको चले गये, वहीं निवास करनेके लिये यह आसक्ति कैसी?
svargato 'pi pitā vṛddhas tathā mātā ciraṃ tava | bāndhavā bhūtapūrvāś ca tatra vāse tu kā ratiḥ ari ||
„Dein betagter Vater ist längst in den Himmel eingegangen, ebenso deine Mutter; auch deine früheren Verwandten sind dahingegangen. O Feindin, welcher Anhang kann noch daran sein, gerade an jenem Ort zu wohnen?“
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges detachment from mere place-based attachment: when parents and earlier kin have already passed on, clinging to the same residence is questioned, implying that dharma should be guided by right understanding rather than nostalgia or fixation on a location.
A Brahmin addresses an adversary, reminding him that his elders and former relatives have long departed to heaven, and challenges the rationale for his continued desire to live in that same place—using the fact of mortality to critique his attachment.