Shloka 34
कुरुक्षेत्रे सेनानिवेशवृत्तान्तः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Questions Saṃjaya on the Deployed Armies
तस्माद् यास्यामि तीर्थानि सरस्वत्या निषेवितुम् । न हि शक्ष्यामि कौरव्यान् नश्यमानानुपेक्षितुम्,“इसलिये मैं सरस्वती नदीके तटवर्ती तीर्थोका सेवन करनेके लिये जाऊँगा; क्योंकि मैं नष्ट होते हुए कुरुवंशियोंको उस अवस्थामें देखकर उनकी उपेक्षा नहीं कर सकूँगा?”
tasmād yāsyāmi tīrthāni sarasvatyā niṣevitum | na hi śakṣyāmi kauravyān naśyamānān upekṣitum ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Karena itu aku akan berangkat mengunjungi tīrtha-tīrtha di tepi Sungai Sarasvatī. Sebab aku tak sanggup berdiam diri, acuh tak acuh, ketika para Kaurava—keturunan Kuru—melaju menuju kebinasaan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When one foresees adharma leading to collective ruin, mere passive witnessing becomes morally difficult; the verse frames pilgrimage to sacred places as a deliberate withdrawal from complicity and an ethical response to impending catastrophe.
The speaker declares an intention to go to the Sarasvatī’s tīrthas, explaining that he cannot remain present and indifferent while the Kauravas are moving toward destruction—signaling the gravity of the coming conflict.