Shloka 216

Vyāsa’s Boon-Offer and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse in the Forest Assembly (आश्रमवासिक पर्व, अध्याय ३६)

Devanagari script

असमर्थो5पसरणे सुकृशे मातरौ च ते । राजन्‌! सारा वन आगसे घिर गया और उन लोगोंपर बड़ा भारी संकट आ गया। उपवास करनेसे प्राणशक्ति क्षीण हो जानेके कारण राजा धृतराष्ट्र वहाँसे भागनेमें असमर्थ थे, तुम्हारी दोनों माताएँ भी अत्यन्त दुर्बल हो गयी थीं; अतः वे भी भागनेमें असमर्थ थीं

Transliteration

asamartho 'pasaraṇe sukṛśe mātarau ca te | rājan |

Translation

Nārada berkata: “Wahai Raja, ia tak sanggup mengundurkan diri untuk melarikan diri; dan kedua ibumu pun, karena sangat kurus oleh puasa, tidak mampu menarik diri. Ketika malapetaka besar menimpa di hutan, mereka tak lagi memiliki tenaga untuk menyelamatkan diri.”

Word by Word

असमर्थःunable, incapable

अपसरणेin retreat/escape (in withdrawing)

सुकृशेvery emaciated/very weak (two)

मातरौtwo mothers

चand

तेyour

राजन्O king

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

the two mothers of the addressee (Kuntī and Gāndhārī)

forest (vana)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores human frailty and impermanence: severe austerity and old age can leave one physically powerless, so ethical life must be grounded not only in resolve but also in awareness of bodily limits and the unpredictability of calamity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada reports to the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) that Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the two queens, weakened and emaciated—especially due to fasting—were unable to escape when a major संकट (calamity) arose in the forest, leading to their being trapped.