Shloka 34
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
चेदयश्वैव मत्स्याश्व दृष्टपूर्वास्तथैव न: । केवल वृष्णिचक्रं च वासुदेवपरिग्रहात्
cedayaś caiva matsyāś ca dṛṣṭapūrvās tathaiva naḥ | kevalaṁ vṛṣṇicakraṁ ca vāsudevaparigrahāt ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Our kinsmen—the Cedis and the people of Matsya—are no longer as they once were, as we had seen them before. Only the circle of Vṛṣṇi heroes has remained secure up to now, sustained by their reliance upon Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores impermanence: even well-known allied peoples and lineages pass away. Enduring security is portrayed as arising not from mere political strength but from taking refuge in Vāsudeva—i.e., divine support grounded in devotion and right alignment.
Vaiśampāyana reflects on the disappearance/decline of once-familiar groups such as the Cedis and Matsyas. In contrast, he notes that the Vṛṣṇi host remains intact for the time being because of their connection to and reliance upon Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva).