Shloka 14
भूत्वा हि नृपति: पूर्व समाज्ञाप्य च मेदिनीम् । कथमेकोड्द्य राजेन्द्र तिषछ्ठसे निर्जने वने
bhūtvā hi nṛpatiḥ pūrvaṃ samājñāpya ca medinīm | katham eko ’dya rājendra tiṣṭhase nirjane vane ||
Sañjaya said: “Formerly, O king, you were a sovereign who commanded the whole earth. How is it that today, O best of kings, you stand alone in this deserted forest?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the impermanence of worldly power: even one who once ruled the earth can be reduced to solitude and helplessness. It implicitly urges reflection on dharma and detachment, especially after the devastation of war.
Sañjaya addresses the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), contrasting his former sovereignty over the earth with his present condition—alone in a deserted forest—highlighting the reversal brought about by the war’s outcome and its aftermath.