Shloka 20
Āśvamedhika-parva Adhyāya 1 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament by the Gaṅgā and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel
वृद्धौ हि तेडद्य पितरौ पश्य नौ दुःखितौ नृप । न शोचितव्यं भवता पश्यामीह जनाधिप,“नरेश्वर! दुःखमें डूबे हुए हम दोनों बूढ़े माता-पिताकी ओर देखो। तुम्हारे लिये शोक करनेका औचित्य मैं नहीं देख पाता हूँ”
vṛddhau hi te ’dya pitarau paśya nau duḥkhitau nṛpa | na śocitavyaṃ bhavatā paśyāmīha janādhipa ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O king, look—your two parents are now aged, and we are overwhelmed with sorrow. Yet, O lord of men, I do not see that you ought to grieve for your own sake here. Rather, let your gaze fall upon us and act with the steadiness and responsibility befitting a ruler.”
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges a ruler to restrain personal lamentation and to respond to suffering with dharmic steadiness—especially by recognizing the condition of elders/parents and acting responsibly rather than collapsing into grief.
Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses a king, pointing out that the king’s parents are old and distressed. He counsels the king that this is not a moment for self-directed mourning, but for composed, duty-bound action in view of the family’s suffering.