Shloka 23
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Permission for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Forest-Retirement
“एक तो मैं जन्मका अन्धा हूँ, दूसरे बूढ़ा हो गया हूँ, तीसरे मेरे सभी पुत्र मारे गये हैं। महाभाग प्रजाजन! अब आप ही बतायें, वनमें जानेके सिवा मेरे लिये दूसरी कौन-सी गति है? इसलिये अब आपलोग मुझे जानेकी आज्ञा दें” ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ekaḥ tu ahaṃ janmakā andhaḥ asmi, dvitīyaḥ vṛddhaḥ bhūtaḥ asmi, tṛtīyaḥ mama sarve putrāḥ hatāḥ santi | mahābhāga prajājanāḥ! idānīm eva brūta—vanam gantuṃ vinā mama anyā kā gatir asti? tasmāt idānīm yūyaṃ mām gantum ājñāpayata || tasya tad vacanaṃ śrutvā sarve te kurujāṅgalāḥ | bāṣpa-saṃdigdha-yā vācā ruruduḥ, bharatarṣabha, bharataśreṣṭha! rājñaḥ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya etāḥ vācaḥ śrutvā tatra upasthitānāṃ kurujāṅgala-nivāsināṃ sarveṣāṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ netrebhyaḥ aśru-dhārāḥ pravavruḥ, te ca phūṭ-phūṭ-kṛtvā ruroduḥ |
Vaiśampāyana dit : «D’abord, je suis aveugle de naissance ; ensuite, je suis devenu vieux ; enfin, tous mes fils ont été tués. Ô peuple noble, dites-le moi vous-mêmes : quelle autre voie me reste-t-il, sinon partir pour la forêt ? Accordez-moi donc la permission de m’en aller.» À ces mots, tous les gens de Kuru-jāṅgala, la voix brouillée de larmes, se mirent à pleurer à grands sanglots. Ô taureau parmi les Bhārata, ô le meilleur des Bhārata : en entendant le discours du roi Dhṛtarāṣṭra, les yeux de tous les hommes présents, habitants de Kuru-jāṅgala, débordèrent en torrents de larmes, et ils sanglotèrent sans pouvoir se contenir.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames renunciation as a dharmic response to irreversible loss and the burdens of age: when worldly roles (power, lineage, purpose) collapse, one may seek a different ‘gati’—a disciplined withdrawal toward the forest life. It also highlights the ethical bond between ruler and subjects, shown through shared grief and compassion.
King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, citing his lifelong blindness, his old age, and the death of all his sons, asks his people to permit him to depart for the forest. The inhabitants of Kuru-jāṅgala who are present hear this and break down, their voices choked with tears, weeping loudly at his decision and suffering.