Shloka 8
अध्याय १५ (Āśramavāsika-parva): धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनवासानुज्ञायाचनम् — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s renewed plea for consent to forest-dwelling
वधूपरिवृता राज्ञि नगरं गन्तुमर्हसि । राजा यात्वेष धर्मात्मा तापस्ये कृतनिश्चय:
vadhūparivṛtā rājñi nagaraṃ gantum arhasi | rājā yātveṣa dharmātmā tāpasye kṛtaniścayaḥ ||
“हे रानी! अपनी पुत्र-वधुओं से घिरी हुई आप नगर को लौट जाइए। राजा तो यह धर्मात्मा पुरुष तपस्या का निश्चय करके वन को जा रहा है।”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as role-appropriate conduct: the queen is advised to return to civic life with the household women, while the king, having formed a firm resolve, embraces tapas (ascetic discipline). It frames renunciation not as impulse but as a deliberate, ethically grounded decision.
Vaiśampāyana reports an instruction to the queen: she should go back to the city accompanied by the daughters-in-law, whereas the king—described as dharmātmā—intends to depart for an ascetic mode of life, indicating a decisive shift from royal household life toward forest austerity.