Shloka 39
अश्रमवासिनां विषादः — Lament in Hastināpura after the Elders’ Forest Withdrawal
पुत्रशोकसमाविष्टो नि:श्वसन् होष भूमिप: । न शेते वसती: सर्वा धृतराष्ट्रो महामुने
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
putraśokasamāviṣṭo niḥśvasan hoṣa bhūmipaḥ |
na śete vasatīḥ sarvā dhṛtarāṣṭro mahāmune ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Overwhelmed by grief for his sons, King Dhṛtarāṣṭra—O great sage—kept heaving long sighs and lamenting. Throughout the night he found no rest; sleep would not come to him.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the consuming power of attachment and bereavement: even a king cannot command peace of mind when grief dominates. It implicitly points toward the need for inner discipline and detachment (vairāgya) as a safeguard against being overwhelmed by loss.
Vaiśampāyana describes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s condition in the forest-life period: he is tormented by sorrow for his dead sons, continually sighing and lamenting, and he cannot sleep through the night.