Shloka 96
तत: काष्ठै: सह तदा पपात धरणीतले । शत्रुदमन नरेश! बोझ भारी होनेके कारण वे बहुत थक गये। उनका शरीर लकड़ियोंके भारसे दब गया था। वे भूखसे पीड़ित हो रहे थे। जब आश्रमपर आकर उस बोझको वे जमीनपर गिराने लगे, उस समय चाँदीके तारकी भाँति सफेद रंगकी उनकी जटा लकड़ीमें चिपक गयी थी, जो उन लकड़ियोंके साथ ही जमीनपर गिर पड़ी
tataḥ kāṣṭhaiḥ saha tadā papāta dharaṇītale | śatrudamana nareśa |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then, together with the bundle of firewood, he fell to the ground. O king, subduer of foes—overwhelmed by the heavy load, he had become utterly exhausted; his body was pressed down by the weight of the wood and he was tormented by hunger. When he reached the hermitage and tried to set the burden down, his matted locks—white like silver threads—had become caught in the wood, and so they too fell to the earth along with the logs.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical weight of endurance and humility: even a venerable ascetic figure can be brought low by hunger and labor, reminding the listener that dharma is often lived through patient suffering and restraint rather than display of power.
A person carrying a heavy load of firewood reaches an āśrama, collapses as he tries to set the wood down, and his white matted locks—caught in the bundle—fall to the ground along with the logs, emphasizing his exhaustion and hardship.