Shloka 7
अश्रमवासिनां विषादः — Lament in Hastināpura after the Elders’ Forest Withdrawal
मासमेकं विजहुस्ते ससैन्यान्तःपुरा वने । अथ तत्रागमद् व्यासो यथोक्त ते मयानघ
māsam ekaṁ vijahus te sa-sainyāntaḥpurā vane | atha tatrāgamad vyāso yathoktaḥ te mayānagha ||
Vaiśampāyana said: For one full month they stayed in the forest, accompanied by their troops and the women of the inner apartments. Then, O sinless one, just as I had told you, Vyāsa arrived there.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a dharmic transition: after worldly upheaval, life moves toward restraint and reflection in the forest, and guidance from a realized sage (Vyāsa) becomes pivotal for ethical clarity and right conduct.
The group has been living in the forest for a month, accompanied by their forces and the women of the royal household; at that point Vyāsa arrives, fulfilling what the narrator had earlier indicated.