Shloka 2
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्चात्तापः तथा वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse and Request for Forest-Retirement
मन्दप्राणगतिर्धीमान् कृच्छादिव समुद्रहन् । पदाति: स महीपालो जीर्णो गजपतिर्यथा
mandaprāṇagatir dhīmān kṛcchād iva samudvahan | padātiḥ sa mahīpālo jīrṇo gajapatir yathā ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Der weise König, dessen Lebenskräfte nur noch schwach regten, schritt mühsam voran. Jener Herr der Erde, nun zu Fuß, vermochte seine Schritte kaum zu heben—wie ein betagter Anführer der Elefanten.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical and spiritual reminder central to the Mahābhārata: worldly authority and strength are transient. Old age reduces even a king to frailty, encouraging humility, acceptance of consequences, and a turn toward detachment and renunciatory values.
The narrator describes the king’s physical decline: his breath and strength are weak, and he walks with great effort, compared to an old elephant leader. It sets the tone for the forest-dwelling, end-of-life phase characteristic of the Āśramavāsika narrative.