Shloka 30

Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma

Devanagari script

ममापि न तथा राज्ञि राज्ये बुद्धिर्यथा पुरा । तपस्येवानुरक्त मे मन: सर्वात्मना तथा,“रानी माँ! अब मेरा मन भी पहलेकी तरह राजकाजमें नही लगता है। हर तरहसे तपस्या करनेको ही जी चाहता है

Transliteration

mamāpi na tathā rājñi rājye buddhir yathā purā | tapasy evānuraktam me manaḥ sarvātmanā tathā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô reine, mon esprit n’est plus porté vers les affaires du pouvoir comme autrefois. Au contraire, de tout mon être, mon cœur est attiré par le tapas : l’ascèse et la discipline spirituelle.»

Word by Word

ममof me / my

अपिalso, even

नnot

तथाthus, in that way

राज्ञिin/with regard to the queen

राज्येin the kingdom / in rulership

बुद्धिःmind, inclination, resolve

यथाas, like

पुराformerly, before

तपसिin austerity, in penance

इवas if, like

अनुरक्तम्attached, devoted

मेmy / of me

मनःmind

सर्वात्मनाwith the whole self; wholly

तथाso, thus

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

rājñī (the queen, addressed)

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 vairāgya: when one recognizes the limits of political power and worldly duty, the mind may naturally turn toward tapas—self-discipline and spiritual striving—as a higher, purifying aim. It frames renunciation not as escapism but as an ethical reorientation of desire and resolve.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Ashramavāsika context, the speaker reports a shift in disposition: the person speaking to the queen confesses that interest in ruling and administration has faded, and that the heart is now wholly inclined toward an ascetic life. This reflects the post-war atmosphere of withdrawal and spiritual reckoning.