Shloka 4
धृष्टद्युम्नेन समागतक्षत्रियगणगणना
Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s Enumeration of Assembled Kṣatriyas
ततः पाशैस्तदा55त्मानं गाढं बद्ध्वा महामुनिः । तस्या जले महानद्या निममज्ज सुदु:ःखित:,तब अत्यन्त दुःखी हुए महामुनि वसिष्ठ अपने शरीरको पाशोंद्वारा अच्छी तरह बाँधकर उस महानदीके जलनमें कूद पड़े
tataḥ pāśais tadātmānaṃ gāḍhaṃ baddhvā mahāmuniḥ | tasyā jale mahānadyā nimamajja suduḥkhitaḥ ||
Entonces, en total desesperación, el gran sabio se ató el cuerpo con lazos bien apretados y se arrojó a las aguas de aquel río caudaloso, presa de un dolor extremo. La escena subraya que incluso el sabio, cuando el duelo lo desborda, puede ser empujado hacia la autodestrucción; pero en el marco del Mahābhārata tales momentos suelen servir para exaltar la firmeza, la contención y el sostenimiento del dharma aun en medio del sufrimiento.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse portrays the danger of being overcome by sorrow: even a great sage can be driven toward harmful action. In dharma-oriented literature, such episodes function as a caution—urging steadiness (dhṛti), restraint, and seeking righteous means rather than surrendering to despair.
A great sage, extremely distressed, binds himself tightly with ropes/nooses and plunges into the water of a great river, indicating an attempted self-destruction or escape from unbearable grief.