Shloka 47
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा—व्यासोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and Vyāsa’s Counsel
मम चैव नियोगेन विधेश्चाप्यनिवर्तनात् । पाण्डवानां च कारुण्यात् प्राणान् धारय भारत,अतः भारत! मेरी आज्ञा मानकर, विधाताका विधान टल नहीं सकता, ऐसा समझकर तथा पाण्डवोंपर करुणा करके तुम अपने प्राण धारण करो
mama caiva niyogena vidheś cāpy anivartanāt | pāṇḍavānāṁ ca kāruṇyāt prāṇān dhāraya bhārata ||
“Therefore, O Bhārata, sustain your life—out of obedience to my command, knowing that the ordinance of the Creator cannot be overturned, and out of compassion for the Pāṇḍavas.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not abandon life in despair; ethical endurance is urged through three supports: respect for a sage’s injunction, acceptance that providence/fate is not easily reversed, and compassion for those who still depend on one’s presence—here, the Pāṇḍavas.
In the grief-filled context of the Strī Parva, Vyāsa addresses a Bharata-descendant and counsels him to remain alive, grounding the appeal in Vyāsa’s authority, the inevitability of the Creator’s decree, and the need to show mercy toward the bereaved Pāṇḍavas.