Shloka 25
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Śrāddha Request and Bhīma’s Objection (Āśramavāsika-parva, Adhyāya 17)
स तेषामतिदुःखो भून्निवास: प्रथमे5हनि । शोचतां शोच्यमानानां पौरजानपदैर्जनै:
sa teṣām atiduḥkho bhūn nivāsaḥ prathame ’hani | śocatāṃ śocyamānānāṃ paurajānapadair janaiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: For them, that first day’s dwelling proved exceedingly painful—while the townsmen and people of the countryside mourned for them, and they themselves, being mourners, were immersed in grief.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a dharmic step such as withdrawing to a forest life can begin in intense suffering when one carries the moral and emotional residue of past actions; the verse highlights the ethical weight of collective loss and the human reality of grief.
As Dhr̥tarāṣṭra and his companions begin their new residence (in the context of leaving royal life), the very first day feels extremely painful: the citizens and villagers lament for them, and they too remain overwhelmed by sorrow.