Shloka 26
राजोवाच भगवन् राज्यमुत्सृज्य प्रस्थितो5हं तपोवनम् । कि वरेणाल्पभाग्यस्य कि राज्येनाप्रजस्य मे
rājovāca bhagavan rājyam utsṛjya prasthito 'haṃ tapovanam | kiṃ vareṇālpabhāgyasya kiṃ rājyenāprajasya me ||
राजा ने कहा—“भगवन्! मैं राज्य छोड़कर तपोवन की ओर चल पड़ा हूँ। मुझ अल्पभाग्य और संतानहीन को वर से क्या, और राज्य से भी क्या प्रयोजन?”
स उवाच मुनि राजा भगवन् नास्ति मे सुतः ।
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the perceived emptiness of worldly power and even divine favors when one lacks the life-goals tied to lineage and continuity; it frames renunciation as a response to grief and a turn toward tapas when kingship no longer feels meaningful.
A king addresses a revered sage, declaring that he has abandoned his kingdom and is heading to a forest hermitage; he explains his motive—being childless and ill-fated, he sees no value in either a boon or royal sovereignty.