Shloka 2
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्चात्तापः तथा वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse and Request for Forest-Retirement
मन्दप्राणगतिर्धीमान् कृच्छादिव समुद्रहन् । पदाति: स महीपालो जीर्णो गजपतिर्यथा,उस समय उनकी चलने-फिरनेकी शक्ति बहुत कम हो गयी थी। वे बुद्धिमान् भूपाल बूढ़े हाथीकी भाँति पैदल चलते समय बड़ी कठिनाईसे पैर उठाते थे
mandaprāṇagatir dhīmān kṛcchād iva samudvahan | padātiḥ sa mahīpālo jīrṇo gajapatir yathā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The wise king, his vital energies moving only faintly, advanced with difficulty. That lord of the earth, now on foot, could scarcely lift his steps—like an aged leader of elephants.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical and spiritual reminder central to the Mahābhārata: worldly authority and strength are transient. Old age reduces even a king to frailty, encouraging humility, acceptance of consequences, and a turn toward detachment and renunciatory values.
The narrator describes the king’s physical decline: his breath and strength are weak, and he walks with great effort, compared to an old elephant leader. It sets the tone for the forest-dwelling, end-of-life phase characteristic of the Āśramavāsika narrative.