Shloka 71
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
अष्टमो हाद्य कालोडयमाहारस्य कृतस्य मे । येनाहं कुरुशार्टूल शकनोमि न विचेष्टितुम्
aṣṭamo hādya kālo ’yam āhārasya kṛtasya me | yenāhaṃ kuruśārṭūla śaknomi na viceṣṭitum ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Today marks the eighth time-period since I last took food—thus the fourth day has fully passed. O tiger among the Kurus, because of this I have grown weak and am unable to make any effort.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the bodily limits that accompany austerity: prolonged fasting weakens the body and can make even basic action impossible. In the ethical setting of the Āśramavāsika narrative, it underscores how renunciant life involves hardship and restraint, yet also demands discernment about the body’s capacity.
The speaker reports that it has been four full days since he last ate (counted as eight ‘kāla’ intervals), and he addresses a Kuru noble as ‘kuruśārṭūla,’ explaining that hunger and weakness have left him unable to exert himself or move effectively.