Shloka 38
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
उचितं नः कुले तात सर्वेषां भरतर्षभ । पुत्रेष्वैश्वर्यमाधाय वयसो<न्ते वनं नूप
ucitaṃ naḥ kule tāta sarveṣāṃ bharatarṣabha | putreṣv aiśvaryam ādhāya vayaso 'nte vanaṃ nūpa ||
Dijo Dhṛtarāṣṭra: «Hijo mío, oh toro entre los Bharata, ésta es la costumbre adecuada de nuestro linaje: todos nuestros reyes, tras confiar la soberanía a sus hijos, al final de la vida deben partir al bosque. Tal retiro honra el dharma: entrega a tiempo la responsabilidad, afloja el apego al poder y vuelve la mente hacia la austeridad y el bien último».
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should relinquish power at the proper time—entrusting the kingdom to the next generation—and turn toward forest-discipline/renunciation, embodying detachment and the life-stage ideal (vānaprastha) as a fulfillment of dharma.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra justifies the decision to withdraw to the forest by appealing to ancestral royal custom: kings of their line, after installing their sons in sovereignty, leave worldly rule in old age and adopt forest-life.