Shloka 23
Adhyāya 6: Kaṅka (Yudhiṣṭhira) Seeks Refuge in Virāṭa’s Assembly
संध्या रात्रि: प्रभा निद्रा ज्योत्स्ना कान्ति: क्षमा दया । नृणां च बन्धन मोहूं पुत्रनाशं धनक्षयम्
sandhyā rātriḥ prabhā nidrā jyotsnā kāntiḥ kṣamā dayā | nṛṇāṃ ca bandhana-mohaṃ putra-nāśaṃ dhana-kṣayam ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Engkaulah senja, malam, cahaya fajar, dan tidur; engkaulah sinar rembulan, kilau cahaya, kesabaran, dan belas kasih. Dan pada manusia pun—belenggu dan delusi, kehilangan putra, serta susutnya harta—(semuanya berada dalam kuasamu).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse catalogs forces and qualities that shape human life: natural cycles (twilight, night, dawn, sleep, moonlight, radiance) alongside moral virtues (forbearance, compassion) and existential afflictions (bondage, delusion, bereavement, and financial decline). It implicitly contrasts inner virtues with the instability of worldly conditions.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, recites a descriptive list of states and experiences relevant to human life. The line functions as a thematic enumeration—placing ethical qualities like kṣamā and dayā amid the realities of attachment, confusion, and loss.