Shloka 58
परां पीडां समाश्रित्य नष्टचित्तो महातपा: । चिन्ताशोकपरीतात्मा न जज्ञे मोहपीडित: । स समाश्चासितो राजा तृष्णीमासीद् विचेतन:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | parāṃ pīḍāṃ samāśritya naṣṭacitto mahātapāḥ | cintāśokaparītātmā na jajñe mohapīḍitaḥ | sa samāścāsito rājā tṛṣṇīm āsīd vicetanaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: Overwhelmed by extreme anguish, the great ascetic king lost clarity of mind. His inner being was engulfed by anxiety and grief; afflicted by delusion, he could not comprehend what was to be done. Thus seated, the king remained silent, as if unconscious.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming grief and attachment can eclipse discernment (viveka), leaving even a powerful king mentally incapacitated. Ethically, it warns that surrendering entirely to sorrow and fatalism can paralyze responsible action and understanding.
After the catastrophic losses of the Kurukṣetra war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra is seized by intense anguish. He becomes bewildered and unresponsive, sitting silently as if unconscious, while the narrator Vaiśampāyana describes his state of mind.