Shloka 55
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
भवितव्यमनुप्राप्तो मन्ये त्वं वसुधाधिप । दिष्ट्या शुश्रूषमाणस्त्वां मोक्षिष्ये मनसो ज्वरम्
bhavitavyam anuprāpto manye tvaṃ vasudhādhipa | diṣṭyā śuśrūṣamāṇas tvāṃ mokṣiṣye manaso jvaram ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O lord of the earth, I believe you have been overtaken by what was destined to happen. If, by good fortune, I continue to have the chance to serve you, I shall be freed from the fever of my mind.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames suffering and moral confusion as eased through two attitudes: acceptance of the inevitable (bhavitavya) and devoted service (śuśrūṣā) to a revered elder/king. Yudhiṣṭhira suggests that serving the addressed ruler is itself a dharmic remedy that cools the ‘fever’ of inner turmoil.
In the Āśramavāsika context, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks to an elder king (addressed as ‘lord of the earth’), interpreting the elder’s condition as the working out of destiny. He expresses that being allowed to attend and serve him will relieve his own mental distress and guilt-laden anxiety.