Shloka 13

Vyāsa’s Boon-Offer and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse in the Forest Assembly (आश्रमवासिक पर्व, अध्याय ३६)

Devanagari script

वने स मुनिशि: सर्व: पूज्यमानो महातपा: । त्वगस्थिमात्रशेष: स षण्मासानभवन्नूप:,उस वनमें जितने ऋषि रहते थे, वे लोग उनका विशेष सम्मान करने लगे। महातपस्वी धृतराष्ट्रके शरीरपर चमड़ेसे ढकी हुई हड्डियोंका ढाँचामात्र रह गया था। उस अवस्थामें उन्होंने छः महीने व्यतीत किये

Transliteration

vane sa muniśiḥ sarvaḥ pūjyamāno mahātapāḥ | tvag-asthi-mātra-śeṣaḥ sa ṣaṇmāsān abhavan nūpaḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Nārada: «En aquel bosque, todos los sabios que allí moraban comenzaron a honrarlo con especial reverencia. El gran asceta Dhṛtarāṣṭra quedó reducido a poco más que un armazón de huesos cubiertos de piel; y en tal estado pasó seis meses».

Word by Word

वनेin the forest

सःhe

मुनिःthe sage

सर्वैःby all (of them)

पूज्यमानःbeing honored

महातपाःthe great ascetic

त्वक्skin

अस्थिbone

मात्रonly, merely

शेषःremaining

सःhe

षण्मासान्six months (as duration)

अभवत्was, remained; spent (time)

नूपःanklet (reading uncertain in context)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

forest (vana)

sages (munayaḥ/ṛṣayaḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the dharmic ideal that true honor follows inner discipline: when a former king embraces austerity and detachment, even forest sages revere him. It frames late-life renunciation as an ethical transformation from power to self-mastery.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada describes Dhṛtarāṣṭra living in the forest among sages. The ascetics honor him, and his body becomes extremely emaciated—only skin and bones—while he continues his austerities for six months.