Shloka 7
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा—व्यासोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and Vyāsa’s Counsel
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत स्त्रीपर्वके अन्तर्गत जलप्रदानिकपर्वमें धृतराष्ट्रके शोकका निवारणविषयक सातवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,पुत्रनाशे<र्थनाशे च ज्ञातिसम्बन्धिनामथ । प्राप्पते सुमहद् दुःखं विषाग्निप्रतिमं विभो 'प्रभो! पुत्र, धन, कुटुम्ब और सम्बन्धियोंका नाश होनेपर तो विष पीने और आगमें चलनेके समान बड़ा भारी दुःख भोगना पड़ता है
putranāśe 'rthanāśe ca jñātisambandhinām atha | prāpnoti sumahad duḥkhaṁ viṣāgnipratimaṁ vibho ||
Vidura said: “O mighty one, when one loses sons, wealth, and one’s own family and kin-relations, a vast sorrow arises—like drinking poison or walking into fire.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the intensity of grief caused by the loss of children, wealth, and kin, comparing it to poison and fire. Implicitly, it prepares the listener (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) to recognize grief as a powerful but natural consequence of attachment, and it frames the need for steadiness and dharmic reflection in the face of irreversible loss.
In Strī Parva’s aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra is overwhelmed by sorrow at the destruction of his sons and lineage. Vidura addresses him directly, articulating how such losses produce immense suffering, as part of a broader effort to counsel and steady the king.