Shloka 1.55.24
कामधेनुसैन्यप्रादुर्भावः — Kamadhenu’s Forces, Visvamitra’s Austerities, and Vasishta’s Wrath
वसिष्ठस्याश्रमपदं शून्यमासीन्महात्मन:।मुहूर्तमिव निश्शब्दमासीदिरिणसन्निभम्।।1.55.24।।
vasiṣṭhasyāśramapadaṃ śūnyam āsīn mahātmanaḥ |
muhūrtam iva niśśabdam āsīd iriṇasannibham || 1.55.24 ||
The great-souled Vasiṣṭha’s hermitage-place became empty; in but a moment it fell silent, like a barren tract of land.
The greatsoul Vasishta's hermitage became deserted and silent in an instant like a barren field.
Adharma devastates community: when righteousness is attacked, the immediate sign is the collapse of refuge, learning, and peace—symbolized by the silent, empty āśrama.
After the weapons are unleashed, the hermitage empties out as all inhabitants flee.
The verse indirectly upholds the āśrama ideal—peace, study, and protection—as a dharmic value worth safeguarding.