Shloka 31
अध्याय ८ — शल्यस्य सत्कारः, वरदानं, पाण्डवसमागमश्च (Śalya’s Reception, the Boon, and Meeting the Pāṇḍavas)
अज्ञातवासं घोरं च वसता दुष्करं कृतम् । दुःखमेव कुत:ः सौख्य॑ भ्रष्टराज्यस्य भारत
ajñātavāsaṃ ghoraṃ ca vasatā duṣkaraṃ kṛtam | duḥkham eva kutaḥ saukhyaṃ bhraṣṭarājyasya bhārata ||
वैशम्पायन बोले—भयानक अज्ञातवास करके तुमने और भी दुष्कर कार्य किया है। भारत! जो अपने राज्य से वंचित हो गया हो, उसके लिए तो दुःख ही है; सुख कहाँ से मिलेगा?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Loss of rightful sovereignty brings unavoidable hardship; when one is dispossessed, comfort is not easily possible. The verse underscores endurance and the ethical weight of unjust deprivation of a kingdom.
The speaker reflects on the Pāṇḍavas’ completion of the perilous incognito year (ajñātavāsa) and remarks that, being deprived of their kingdom, their condition naturally yields suffering rather than happiness.