Shloka 343
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
गान्धार्याश्रैव राजेन्द्र तदनुज्ञातुमरहसि । “वे सब युद्धमें सम्मुख मारे गये हैं
gāndhāryāś caiva rājendra tad anu jñātum arhasi |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O best of kings, grant permission to Gāndhārī and to me. All our sons have fallen facing the enemy in battle, and therefore have attained the worlds promised to those who die bearing arms. Now, for our own highest good, Gāndhārī and I must undertake purifying austerities; therefore, allow us to do so.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even after catastrophic loss, one may turn toward purification and spiritual discipline. Dhṛtarāṣṭra frames renunciation and tapas as a pursuit of ultimate welfare (hita), while also acknowledging the warrior code that grants fallen fighters a destined posthumous realm.
In the Āśramavāsika episode, Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses Yudhiṣṭhira as ‘rājendra’ and seeks formal permission for himself and Gāndhārī to withdraw from courtly life and undertake ascetic austerities, interpreting the deaths of their sons as having led them to the warriors’ worlds.