Shloka 23
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Permission for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Forest-Retirement
“एक तो मैं जन्मका अन्धा हूँ, दूसरे बूढ़ा हो गया हूँ, तीसरे मेरे सभी पुत्र मारे गये हैं। महाभाग प्रजाजन! अब आप ही बतायें, वनमें जानेके सिवा मेरे लिये दूसरी कौन-सी गति है? इसलिये अब आपलोग मुझे जानेकी आज्ञा दें” ।। तस्य तद् वचन श्रुत्वा सर्वे ते कुरुजाड्ला: । बाष्पसंदिग्धया वाचा रुरुदुर्भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ! राजा धृतराष्ट्रकी ये बातें सुनकर वहाँ उपस्थित हुए कुरुजांगलनिवासी सभी मनुष्योंके नेत्रोंस आँसुओंकी धारा बह चली और वे फूट-फूटकर रोने लगे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ekaḥ tu ahaṃ janmakā andhaḥ asmi, dvitīyaḥ vṛddhaḥ bhūtaḥ asmi, tṛtīyaḥ mama sarve putrāḥ hatāḥ santi | mahābhāga prajājanāḥ! idānīm eva brūta—vanam gantuṃ vinā mama anyā kā gatir asti? tasmāt idānīm yūyaṃ mām gantum ājñāpayata || tasya tad vacanaṃ śrutvā sarve te kurujāṅgalāḥ | bāṣpa-saṃdigdha-yā vācā ruruduḥ, bharatarṣabha, bharataśreṣṭha! rājñaḥ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya etāḥ vācaḥ śrutvā tatra upasthitānāṃ kurujāṅgala-nivāsināṃ sarveṣāṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ netrebhyaḥ aśru-dhārāḥ pravavruḥ, te ca phūṭ-phūṭ-kṛtvā ruroduḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “I am blind from birth; secondly, I have grown old; thirdly, all my sons have been slain. O noble people, you yourselves tell me—what other course remains for me except to go to the forest? Therefore, grant me leave to depart.” Hearing these words, all those people of Kuru-jāṅgala, their voices choked with tears, began to weep aloud. O bull among the Bharatas, O best of the Bharatas—on hearing King Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s speech, the eyes of all the men present, dwellers of Kuru-jāṅgala, overflowed with streams of tears, and they sobbed uncontrollably.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames renunciation as a dharmic response to irreversible loss and the burdens of age: when worldly roles (power, lineage, purpose) collapse, one may seek a different ‘gati’—a disciplined withdrawal toward the forest life. It also highlights the ethical bond between ruler and subjects, shown through shared grief and compassion.
King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, citing his lifelong blindness, his old age, and the death of all his sons, asks his people to permit him to depart for the forest. The inhabitants of Kuru-jāṅgala who are present hear this and break down, their voices choked with tears, weeping loudly at his decision and suffering.