Shloka 44
Vyāsa’s Boon-Offer and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse in the Forest Assembly (आश्रमवासिक पर्व, अध्याय ३६)
तं च वृद्ध तथा दग्धं हतपुत्र॑ं नराधिपम् । अन्वशोचन्त ते सर्वे गान्धारीं च तपस्विनीम्,पुत्रहीन बूढ़े राजा धृतराष्ट्र तथा तपस्विनी गान्धारी-देवीको इस प्रकार दग्ध हुई सुनकर सब लोग बारंबार शोक करने लगे
taṃ ca vṛddhaṃ tathā dagdhaṃ hataputraṃ narādhipam | anvaśocanta te sarve gāndhārīṃ ca tapasvinīm ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Hearing that the aged king—bereft of his sons—had been burned, and that the ascetic queen Gāndhārī too had perished in the fire, all those present repeatedly lamented for them.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even royal power ends in vulnerability: old age, bereavement, and death. The verse highlights impermanence and the ethical seriousness of actions whose consequences culminate in suffering, while also affirming compassion as a shared human response.
News spreads that the aged king Dhṛtarāṣṭra—already devastated by the death of his sons—has been burned, and that the ascetic Gāndhārī has also perished. Those around them mourn repeatedly for the couple.