Shloka 4
ततः पाशैस्तदा55त्मानं गाढं बद्ध्वा महामुनिः । तस्या जले महानद्या निममज्ज सुदु:ःखित:,तब अत्यन्त दुःखी हुए महामुनि वसिष्ठ अपने शरीरको पाशोंद्वारा अच्छी तरह बाँधकर उस महानदीके जलनमें कूद पड़े
tataḥ pāśais tadātmānaṃ gāḍhaṃ baddhvā mahāmuniḥ | tasyā jale mahānadyā nimamajja suduḥkhitaḥ ||
Then, in utter despair, the great sage tightly bound his own body with nooses and plunged into the waters of that mighty river. The scene underscores how even the wise, when overwhelmed by grief, may be driven toward self-destruction—yet the narrative context in the Mahābhārata typically uses such moments to highlight the need for steadiness, restraint, and the upholding of dharma even amid suffering.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse portrays the danger of being overcome by sorrow: even a great sage can be driven toward harmful action. In dharma-oriented literature, such episodes function as a caution—urging steadiness (dhṛti), restraint, and seeking righteous means rather than surrendering to despair.
A great sage, extremely distressed, binds himself tightly with ropes/nooses and plunges into the water of a great river, indicating an attempted self-destruction or escape from unbearable grief.