Shloka 25

Vasiṣṭhāpavāha: Sarasvatī’s Diversion and Viśvāmitra’s Curse (वसिष्ठापवाहः)

Devanagari script

तं तथा विलपन्तं तु शोकोपहतचेतसम्‌ | दृष्टवा तस्य कृपा जज्ञे राष्ट्र तस्थ व्यमोचयत्‌,राजा धृतराष्ट्रको इस प्रकार शोकसे अचेत होकर विलाप करते देख उनके मनमें दया आ गयी और उन्होंने राजाके राज्यको संकटसे मुक्त कर दिया

Transliteration

taṃ tathā vilapantaṃ tu śokopahatacetasaṃ | dṛṣṭvā tasya kṛpā jajñe rāṣṭraṃ tasthau vyamocayat | rājā dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ ||

Translation

Seeing him lamenting in that manner, his mind overwhelmed by grief, compassion arose. The king then relieved the realm from its distress, granting release from the crisis that had befallen it.

Word by Word

तम्him

तथाthus, in that manner

विलपन्तम्lamenting

तुbut, indeed

शोक-उपहत-चेतसम्whose mind was struck/overpowered by grief

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

तस्यof him

कृपाcompassion

जज्ञेarose, was born

राष्ट्रम्kingdom, realm

तस्थौstood, remained

व्यमोचयत्released, freed

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

rāṣṭra (the kingdom/realm)

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?

Even amid the devastation of war, a ruler’s dharma includes responding to suffering with compassion; pity is not merely emotion but should translate into protective action that relieves the realm and its people from further harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that, upon seeing a person (contextually, one grieving intensely) lamenting with a mind crushed by sorrow, King Dhṛtarāṣṭra is moved to compassion and takes steps that ‘free the kingdom’—i.e., he grants relief from a pressing danger or crisis affecting the state.