Shloka 18
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Permission for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Forest-Retirement
भवन्तो>5प्यनुजानन्तु मा च वो5भूदू विचारणा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ity uktās tena te sarve paurajānapadā janāḥ | nocur bāṣpakalāḥ kiñcid vīkṣāṃ cakruḥ parasparam ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Lorsqu’il eut parlé ainsi, tous les habitants de la cité et des campagnes, submergés de larmes, ne purent que se regarder les uns les autres. Nul ne prononça la moindre réponse.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public power and private guilt converge: when a ruler acknowledges fault and turns toward renunciation, the community may respond not with argument but with silent grief. The verse highlights accountability, the emotional cost of adharma’s consequences, and the dignity of stepping away from worldly life when one’s role has become morally exhausted.
After Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s words (his request to depart for the forest and his penitential stance, given in the surrounding passage), the townspeople and villagers are overwhelmed. They weep and exchange looks, but no one can bring themselves to answer—signaling shock, sorrow, and reluctant acceptance.