धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानम् — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Departure for Forest Life
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! अपनी माताको आनन्द प्रदान करनेवाले वे पुरुषसिंह वीर पाण्डव इस प्रकार माताकी याद करते हुए अत्यन्त दुखी हो गये थे
Vaiśampāyana uvāca—Janamejaya! svamātaraṃ ānanda-pradāḥ te puruṣa-siṃhā vīrāḥ Pāṇḍavāḥ evaṃ mātṛ-smaraṇa-parāḥ san atyanta-duḥkhitā babhūvuḥ.
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Janamejaya, those heroic Pāṇḍavas—lion-like among men, who had been a source of joy to their mother—became deeply distressed as they thus kept remembering her.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Even the greatest heroes are bound by filial duty and emotional accountability; remembrance of one’s mother underscores gratitude and dharma, and the narrative frames sorrow as a morally significant response rather than mere weakness.
Vaiśampāyana continues the account to King Janamejaya: the Pāṇḍavas, described as heroic and once a joy to their mother, are overwhelmed with grief as they keep recalling her.