Shloka 28
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
विसर्जयति मां राजा गान्धारी च यशस्विनी । भवत्यां बद्धचित्तस्तु कथं यास्यामि दुःखित:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
visarjayati māṃ rājā gāndhārī ca yaśasvinī |
bhavatyāṃ baddhacittas tu kathaṃ yāsyāmi duḥkhitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Mother, the king, and the illustrious Gāndhārī as well, are sending me back home. Yet my mind is bound to you; merely hearing the word ‘departure’ makes me sorrowful. In such a state, how can I go, distressed as I am?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between obedience to elders’ command and the pull of personal attachment. It implicitly points toward the dharmic ideal of learning to accept separation and act according to rightful instruction even when the heart resists.
A speaker (addressing ‘Mother’) says that the king and the renowned Gāndhārī are granting him leave to return home, but he feels deeply attached to her; the very thought of leaving causes grief, so he wonders how he can depart in such distress.