Shloka 49
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
सो<हं वनं गमिष्यामि निर्बन्धुर्ज्ञातिसंक्षये । न हि मेडन्यद् भवेच्छेयो वनाभ्युपगमादृते
so 'haṁ vanaṁ gamiṣyāmi nirbandhur jñātisaṁkṣaye | na hi me 'nyad bhavec chreyo vanābhyupagamād ṛte ||
«Así pues, iré al bosque, sin parientes, pues mis deudos han sido destruidos. Para mí no hay mejor camino que retirarme al bosque; fuera de acogerme a la vida del bosque, no veo bien verdadero alguno.»
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
When one’s social world collapses through the destruction of kin, the speaker identifies śreyas (true welfare) not in further worldly striving but in withdrawal—seeking purification, restraint, and perspective through forest-life (a traditional path of renunciation and austerity).
In the wake of jñāti-saṁkṣaya (the ruin of relatives caused by the great war), the speaker declares an intention to leave society and go to the forest, judging that no other course offers genuine good for him in such a devastated familial and moral landscape.