Shloka 15
Adhyāya 45 — Duryodhana’s Distress, Śakuni’s Counsel, and the Summons for Dyūta
रुक्मिण्यामस्य मूढस्य प्रार्थना55सीन्मुमूर्षत: । नचतां प्राप्तवान् मूढ:ः शूद्रो वेदश्रुतीमिव,“अब यह मरना ही चाहता है। इस मूर्खने पहले रुक्मिणीके लिये उसके बन्धु- बान्धवोंसे याचना की थी, परंतु जैसे शूद्र वेदकी ऋचाओंको श्रवण नहीं कर सकता, उसी प्रकार इस अज्ञानीको वह प्राप्त न हो सकी'
rukmiṇyām asya mūḍhasya prārthanā cāsīn mumūrṣataḥ | na ca tāṁ prāptavān mūḍhaḥ śūdro vedaśrutīm iva ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Este necio parece anhelar la muerte. Antes había presentado súplicas a los parientes de Rukmiṇī por ella; pero el insensato no la obtuvo, como un Śūdra que (según la antigua norma) está vedado de oír las recitaciones védicas».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked desire joined with delusion leads to self-destruction; the verse uses a culturally loaded simile (restriction from Vedic hearing) to stress that certain aims remain unattainable when pursued without rightful means, clarity, or dharmic grounding.
The speaker reports that a deluded man, already inclined toward death, had earlier petitioned Rukmiṇī’s relatives for her hand (or access), but failed to obtain her; his failure is emphasized through a simile of being barred from Vedic recitation.