Shloka 25
कुन्ती–व्याससंवादः
Kuntī–Vyāsa Dialogue on Durvāsā’s Boon and Karṇa’s Birth
राजन! तदनन्तर देवर्षि नारदजी धर्मात्मा राजा युधिष्ठिरको आश्वासन देकर अभीष्ट स्थानको चले गये ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
rājan! tadanantaraṃ devarṣi-nāradaḥ dharmātmā rājā yudhiṣṭhiram āśvāsya abhīṣṭa-sthānaṃ jagāma ||
evaṃ varṣāṇy atītāni dhṛtarāṣṭrasya dhīmataḥ |
vanavāse tathā trīṇi nagare daśa pañca ca ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King! After that, the divine seer Nārada—steadfast in dharma—consoled King Yudhiṣṭhira and departed for the place of his choosing. Thus, for the wise Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the years passed: three years in forest-dwelling and fifteen years in the city. Having lost his sons on the battlefield, he continually gave gifts for the sake of his kin—brothers of his line, relatives, friends, companions, and dependents—meeting grief with duty and charity.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames post-war life as a moral response to loss: grief is met through dharma—consolation, disciplined passage of time, and sustained charity (dāna). It also highlights the transition from royal life to forest-retirement as a recognized ethical stage.
Nārada reassures Yudhiṣṭhira and then departs. The narration then summarizes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s post-war years: fifteen years spent in the city and three years in forest-dwelling, during which he regularly gave gifts on behalf of his bereaved family and dependents.