Shloka 15
Adhyāya 45 — Duryodhana’s Distress, Śakuni’s Counsel, and the Summons for Dyūta
रुक्मिण्यामस्य मूढस्य प्रार्थना55सीन्मुमूर्षत: । नचतां प्राप्तवान् मूढ:ः शूद्रो वेदश्रुतीमिव
rukmiṇyām asya mūḍhasya prārthanā cāsīn mumūrṣataḥ | na ca tāṁ prāptavān mūḍhaḥ śūdro vedaśrutīm iva ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Cet homme égaré semble aspirer à la mort. Jadis, il avait adressé des requêtes aux parents de Rukmiṇī à son sujet ; mais le sot ne l’obtint point, tel un Śūdra que (selon l’usage ancien) l’on écarte de l’écoute des récitations védiques.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked desire joined with delusion leads to self-destruction; the verse uses a culturally loaded simile (restriction from Vedic hearing) to stress that certain aims remain unattainable when pursued without rightful means, clarity, or dharmic grounding.
The speaker reports that a deluded man, already inclined toward death, had earlier petitioned Rukmiṇī’s relatives for her hand (or access), but failed to obtain her; his failure is emphasized through a simile of being barred from Vedic recitation.