Shloka 27
अध्याय १५ (Āśramavāsika-parva): धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनवासानुज्ञायाचनम् — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s renewed plea for consent to forest-dwelling
वनाच्चापि किमानीता भवत्या बालका वयम् | दुःखशोकसमाविष्टौ माद्रीपुत्राविमौ तथा,“जब आपको वनमें ही जाना था, तब आप हमको और दु:ख-शोकमें डूबे हुए उन माद्रीकुमारोंको बाल्यावस्थामें वनसे नगरमें क्यों ले आयीं?
vanāc cāpi kim ānītā bhavatyā bālakā vayam | duḥkha-śoka-samāviṣṭau mādrī-putrāv imau tathā ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Jika pada akhirnya engkau harus pergi ke hutan juga, mengapa ketika kami masih kanak-kanak engkau membawa kami dari hutan ke kota? Dan mengapa pula engkau membawa kedua putra Mādrī ini, yang tenggelam dalam duka dan ratap?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between worldly responsibility and renunciation: if one intends to withdraw to the forest, one should consider the consequences for dependents—especially children and the grief-stricken—before uprooting them from one life to another.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker questions a woman’s decision: since she ultimately chose the forest-life, why did she earlier bring the children (including Mādrī’s two sons) from the forest into the city during their vulnerable, sorrow-filled youth.