Shloka 18

धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Permission for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Forest-Retirement

Devanagari script

भवन्तो>5प्यनुजानन्तु मा च वो5भूदू विचारणा,“अब आपलोग भी मुझे वनमें जानेकी आज्ञा दें। इस विषयमें आपके मनमें कोई अन्यथा विचार नहीं होना चाहिये। आपलोगोंका हमारे साथ जो यह प्रेम-सम्बन्ध सदासे चला आ रहा है, ऐसा सम्बन्ध दूसरे देशके राजाओंके साथ वहाँकी प्रजाका नहीं होगा, ऐसा मेरा विश्वास है कृते याचेडद्य व: सर्वान्‌ गान्धारीसहितो5नघा: । निष्पाप प्रजाजन! मेरे पुत्रोंकी बुद्धि चंचल थी। वे लोभी और स्वेच्छाचारी थे। उनके अपराधोंके लिये आज गान्धारीसहित मैं आप सब लोगोंसे क्षमा-याचना करता हूँ ।। १७४६ || इत्युक्तास्तेन ते सर्वे पौरजानपदा जना: । नोचुर्बाष्पकला: किंचिद्‌ वीक्षांचक्रु: परस्परम्‌ धृतराष्ट्रके इस प्रकार कहनेपर नगर और जनपदमें निवास करनेवाले सब लोग नेत्रोंसे आँसू बहाते हुए एक-दूसरेका मुँह देखने लगे। किसीने कोई उत्तर नहीं दिया

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | ity uktās tena te sarve paurajānapadā janāḥ | nocur bāṣpakalāḥ kiñcid vīkṣāṃ cakruḥ parasparam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: When he had spoken thus, all the people of the city and the countryside—overcome with tears—could only look at one another’s faces. No one uttered any reply.

Word by Word

इतिthus

उक्ताःhaving been spoken to / addressed

तेनby him

तेthey

सर्वेall

पौर-जनपदाःtownsmen and countryfolk

जनाःpeople

नnot

ऊचुःsaid

बाष्प-कलाःstreams/droplets of tears

किञ्चित्anything; at all

वीक्षाम्a look; looking

चक्रुःdid; made

परस्परम्mutually; one another

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied)

paurāḥ (citizens)

jānapadāḥ (people of the countryside)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Public power and private guilt converge: when a ruler acknowledges fault and turns toward renunciation, the community may respond not with argument but with silent grief. The verse highlights accountability, the emotional cost of adharma’s consequences, and the dignity of stepping away from worldly life when one’s role has become morally exhausted.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s words (his request to depart for the forest and his penitential stance, given in the surrounding passage), the townspeople and villagers are overwhelmed. They weep and exchange looks, but no one can bring themselves to answer—signaling shock, sorrow, and reluctant acceptance.