Shloka 39
Vidura’s Return; Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Departure; Nārada’s Instruction on Kāla and Detachment
युधिष्ठिर उवाच नाहं वेद गतिं पित्रोर्भगवन् क्व गतावित: । अम्बा वा हतपुत्रार्ता क्व गता च तपस्विनी ॥ ३९ ॥
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca nāhaṁ veda gatiṁ pitror bhagavan kva gatāv itaḥ ambā vā hata-putrārtā kva gatā ca tapasvinī
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said: O Bhagavān, I do not know where my two uncles have gone. Nor can I find my ascetic aunt, stricken with grief at the loss of all her sons.
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, as a good soul and devotee of the Lord, was always conscious of the great loss of his aunt and her sufferings as an ascetic. An ascetic is never disturbed by all kinds of sufferings, and that makes him strong and determined on the path of spiritual progress. Queen Gāndhārī is a typical example of an ascetic because of her marvelous character in many trying situations. She was an ideal woman as mother, wife and ascetic, and in the history of the world such character in a woman is rarely found.
FAQs
In this verse, Yudhiṣṭhira admits he does not know their whereabouts; the chapter narrative explains they left for the forest life of renunciation.
Because Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, and others departed quietly, and Yudhiṣṭhira—responsible for their care—seeks truthful guidance from the saint about their destination.
Even with responsibility and love, one may not control others’ life choices; the verse encourages humility, seeking wise counsel, and accepting renunciation and change with dharmic composure.