Shloka 2
अध्याय ५६ — च्यवन–कुशिकसंवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Lineage, Conflict, and Transmission
युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--पितामह! च्यवन मुनिके अन्तर्धान हो जानेपर राजा कुशिक और उनकी महान् सौभाग्यशालिनी पत्नीने क्या किया? यह मुझे बताइये ।।
bhīṣma uvāca |
adṛṣṭvā sa mahīpālas tam ṛṣiṃ saha bhāryayā |
pariśrānto nivavṛte vrīḍito naṣṭacetanaḥ ||
Bhishma said: When the king, together with his wife, could not find that sage, he returned exhausted. Overcome by embarrassment and self-reproach, he became as though senseless—his mind shaken by the failure to behold the ascetic who had vanished from sight.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical contrast between royal power and ascetic authority: when a king cannot reach a sage (who may withdraw from sight by spiritual power), the proper response is not coercion but humility. The king’s shame and mental collapse underscore the moral weight of failing in reverence, patience, or right conduct toward a rishi.
After Chyavana disappears (becomes unperceivable), King Kushika searches for him with his wife but cannot find him. Exhausted, the king turns back, feeling deep embarrassment and becoming mentally stunned, setting up the next part of the episode about why the sage withdrew and what consequences or lessons follow.