Shloka 17
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
मुमुचु: श्वासमत्युष्णं दु:ः:खशोकसमन्विता: । सप्तर्षयो जातभयास्तथा देवर्षयोडपि च,सप्तर्षियों और देवर्षियोंको भी भय होने लगा। वे दुःख और शोकसे संतप्त हो अत्यन्त गरम-गरम साँस छोड़ने लगे
mumucuḥ śvāsam aty-uṣṇaṃ duḥkha-śoka-samanvitāḥ | saptarṣayo jāta-bhayās tathā devarṣayo 'pi ca ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Overwhelmed by grief and sorrow, they let out exceedingly hot breaths. Fear arose even in the Seven Ṛṣis, and likewise among the divine seers as well—so intense was the dread that it disturbed the very guardians of sacred order.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the highest spiritual authorities (saptarṣis and devarṣis) can be shaken when adharma or a world-threatening disturbance manifests; the verse underscores the ethical idea that cosmic disorder produces palpable suffering and fear, signaling the need to restore dharma.
The narrator describes a moment of intense dread: grief-stricken beings exhale burning breaths, and fear spreads even among the Seven Sages and the divine seers, indicating an ominous, extraordinary crisis in the unfolding events.