Shloka 15
अर्जुन–युधिष्ठिर–विदुर संवादः
Arjuna and Yudhiṣṭhira instruct Vidura on honoring Dhṛtarāṣṭra
तथैव देवी गान्धारी वल्कलाजिनधारिणी । कुन्त्या सह महाराज समानव्रतचारिणी,महाराज! इसी प्रकार वल्कल और मृगचर्म धारण करनेवाली गान्धारीदेवी भी कुन्तीके साथ रहकर धुृतराष्ट्रके समान ही व्रतका पालन करने लगीं
tathaiva devī gāndhārī valkalājinadhāriṇī | kuntyā saha mahārāja samānavratacāriṇī ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Ebenso, o König, lebte Königin Gāndhārī, in Rindenkleid und Hirschfell gehüllt, zusammen mit Kuntī und befolgte dieselben strengen Gelübde wie Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharma expressed as disciplined renunciation: even in grief and the decline of royal power, one may choose steadiness, simplicity, and shared austerity. Gāndhārī’s matching of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s vows models ethical consistency and inner resolve rather than attachment to former status.
In the Āśramavāsika episode, the elders withdraw to the forest. Here, Vaiśampāyana notes that Gāndhārī, wearing ascetic clothing (bark and deerskin), stays with Kuntī and follows the same regimen of vows and austerities as Dhṛtarāṣṭra, indicating their collective transition into forest-dwelling life.