Shloka 3
अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira
वृद्ध च हतपुत्रं च धर्मपत्न्या सहानया । विलपन्तं बहुविधं कृपणं चैव सत्तमा:,“सज्जनो! मैं बूढ़ा हूँ। मेरे सभी पुत्र मार डाले गये हैं। मैं अपनी इस धर्मपत्नीके साथ बारंबार दीनतापूर्वक विलाप कर रहा हूँ। मेरे पिता स्वयं महर्षि व्यासने मुझे वनमें जानेकी आज्ञा दे दी है। धर्मज्ञ पुरुषो! धर्मके ज्ञाता राजा युधिष्ठिरने भी वनवासके लिये अनुमति दे दी है। वही मैं अब पुनः बारंबार आपके सामने मस्तक झुकाकर प्रणाम करता हूँ। पुण्यात्मा प्रजाजन! आपलोग गान्धारीसहित मुझे वनमें जानेकी आज्ञा दे दें!
vṛddhaṃ ca hataputraṃ ca dharmapatnyā sahānayā | vilapantaṃ bahuvidhaṃ kṛpaṇaṃ caiva sattamāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Aged and bereft of his sons, and together with this faithful wife, he lamented in many ways—pitiably, O best of men.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and emotional reckoning after violence: worldly power collapses into sorrow, and the turn toward renunciation/forest-dwelling is presented as a dharmic response to loss and the burden of past actions.
Vaiśampāyana describes an elderly, son-bereaved figure lamenting with his lawful wife. This sets the tone for the Ashramavāsika episode, where the elders, overwhelmed by grief and consequences, move toward withdrawal from courtly life.