Shloka 31
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
शून्येयं च मही कृत्स्ना न मे प्रीतिकरी शुभे | बान्धवा न: परिक्षीणा बल॑ नो न यथा पुरा,'शुभे! यह सारी पृथ्वी मेरे लिये सूनी हो गयी है; अतः इससे मुझे प्रसन्नता नहीं होती। हमारे सगे-सम्बन्धी नष्ट हो गये; अब हमारे पास पहलेकी तरह सैन्यबल भी नहीं है
śūnyeyaṃ ca mahī kṛtsnā na me prītikarī śubhe | bāndhavā naḥ parikṣīṇā balaṃ no na yathā purā ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô toi qui portes l’heureux présage, cette terre entière est devenue vide pour moi ; elle ne m’apporte plus de joie. Nos proches ont été épuisés et anéantis, et notre force n’est plus celle d’autrefois.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly possession and political control cannot compensate for the ethical and emotional devastation caused by the destruction of one’s own people; when kinship networks and supporting strength collapse, the realm itself feels ‘empty,’ prompting dispassion and a turn away from triumphalism.
In the Ashramavāsika context, the speaker (through Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration) voices the bleak post-war condition: the land remains, but the community that gave it meaning—relatives and allies—has perished, and the former military power is gone, setting the stage for withdrawal to the forest and a life oriented toward austerity.