Shloka 17
Bhīmasya paruṣa-vākyaṃ
Bhīma’s Harsh Speech Heard by Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Gāndhārī
अनुजानीहि पितरं समयो<5स्य तपोविधौ । न मन्युर्विद्यते चास्य सुसूक्ष्मोडपि युधिष्ठिर
anujānīhi pitaraṃ samayo 'sya tapovidhau | na manyur vidyate cāsya susūkṣmo 'pi yudhiṣṭhira ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Grant your father permission to depart for the forest; the proper time has come for him to undertake the disciplines of ascetic life. O Yudhiṣṭhira, there is not even the slightest trace of resentment in his heart toward you.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should honor the dharmic transition of elders into vānaprastha/ascetic discipline when the time is ripe, and should not act from suspicion; the verse emphasizes reconciliation and the ethical power of letting go of resentment.
Vaiśampāyana urges Yudhiṣṭhira to allow his father (implicitly Dhṛtarāṣṭra) to go to the forest for tapas, assuring him that the elder bears no anger toward Yudhiṣṭhira even in the slightest degree.