Shloka 42
Adhyāya 60: Dāna vs. Yajña—Royal Giving, Protection, and Karmic Share
वैशम्पायन उवाच तस्य तद् वचन श्रुत्वा प्रीतात्मा कुरुनन्दनः । नाश्रमेडरोचयद् वासं वीरमार्गाभिकाडुक्षया
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tasya tad vacanaṃ śrutvā prītātmā kurunandanaḥ | nāśrame 'dharocayad vāsaṃ vīramārgābhikāṅkṣayā ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Al oír aquellas palabras, el príncipe de los Kurus (Yudhiṣṭhira) se alegró en su corazón. Y, al despertarse en él el anhelo por la senda heroica propia del kṣatriya, dejó de aprobar la vida de morada en un āśrama (como habitante del bosque/renunciante).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic tension: after receiving counsel, Yudhiṣṭhira’s mind turns toward the ‘vīramārga’—the responsible kṣatriya path—so he sets aside the impulse to withdraw into āśrama-life. It underscores that renunciation is not always the highest choice; one’s rightful duty and social responsibility can be ethically primary.
Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that Yudhiṣṭhira, pleased by the instruction he has just heard (from the elder authority in context), becomes resolved to follow the heroic/royal course and therefore abandons the idea of living in an āśrama.