Shloka 126
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
राजा निर्वेदमापेदे भीमवाग्बाणपीडित: । उस समयतक उन्हें राजा युधिष्ठिरके आश्रयमें रहते पंद्रह वर्ष व्यतीत हो चुके थे। पंद्रहवाँ वर्ष बीतनेपर भीमसेनके वाग्बाणोंसे पीड़ित हुए राजा धृतराष्ट्रको खेद एवं वैराग्य हुआ
rājā nirvedam āpede bhīmavāgbāṇapīḍitaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, tormented by Bhīma’s sharp, arrow-like words, fell into deep remorse and dispassion. Having lived under King Yudhiṣṭhira’s protection for fifteen years, he was still stung by Bhīmasena’s verbal barbs; and from that pain arose in him a weary turning away from worldly attachment.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech has moral weight: harsh words can wound like arrows and force a person to confront guilt and consequence. Here, the pain of being verbally pierced becomes a catalyst for nirveda—an ethical awakening that turns the mind away from attachment and toward renunciation.
After living for fifteen years under Yudhiṣṭhira’s protection, Dhṛtarāṣṭra is repeatedly stung by Bhīma’s cutting reminders of past wrongs. Unable to bear the ‘word-arrows,’ he falls into grief and dispassion, setting the stage for withdrawal from courtly life toward the forest-āśrama path.