Shloka 373
वृत्त्यर्थ प्राद्रवन् राजन क्षुधार्ता: सर्वतोदिशम् । नरेश्वर! बारह वर्षोकी उस अनावृष्टिमें सब महर्षि भूखसे पीड़ित हो जीविकाके लिये सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें दौड़ने लगे
vṛttyarthaṃ prādravan rājan kṣudhārtāḥ sarvatodiśam | nareśvara! bāraha varṣokī us anāvṛṣṭimeṃ sab maharṣi bhūkhase pīḍita ho jīvikāke liye sampūrṇa diśāoṃmeṃ dauṛne lage |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O King, stricken by hunger, the great seers ran in every direction in search of livelihood. In that twelve-year drought, even the sages—normally steadfast in austerity—were compelled to disperse simply to sustain life.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most disciplined and spiritually advanced are not exempt from basic human needs; dharma includes compassionate realism—society and rulers must recognize vulnerability during calamities and support the sustenance of all, including ascetics.
During a prolonged drought lasting twelve years, hunger spreads so severely that the great sages themselves scatter and hurry in all directions seeking means of livelihood, and Vaiśaṃpāyana reports this to the king.