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 ||
वैशम्पायन बोले— “यह मूढ़ तो मानो मरने की ही कामना कर रहा था। इसने पहले रुक्मिणी के विषय में उसके स्वजनों से याचना की थी; पर वह अज्ञानी उसे पा न सका—जैसे (परंपरा के अनुसार) शूद्र वेद-मंत्रों का श्रवण नहीं कर सकता।”
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.