Shloka 2
दमयन्त्याः व्याकुलता — स्वयंवरसंनिपातः — देवदूतयाचनम्
Damayantī’s Distress, Proclamation of the Svayaṃvara, and the Gods’ Request
दीर्घमुष्णं च नि:श्वस्य धृतराष्ट्रोडम्बिकासुत: । अब्रवीत् संजयं सूतमामन्त्रय पुरुषर्षभ,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--पुरुषरत्न जनमेजय! पाण्डवोंका वह अद्भुत एवं अलौकिक चरित्र सुनकर अम्बिकानन्दन राजा धृतराष्ट्रका मन चिन्ता और शोकमें डूब गया। वे अत्यन्त खिन्न हो उठे और लंबी एवं गरम साँसें खींचकर अपने सारथि संजयको निकट बुलाकर बोले--
dīrgham uṣṇaṃ ca niḥśvasya dhṛtarāṣṭro ’mbikāsutaḥ | abravīt sañjayaṃ sūtam āmantrya puruṣarṣabha ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O bull among men, having heaved a long, hot sigh, Dhṛtarāṣṭra—the son of Ambikā—summoned Sañjaya the charioteer and spoke. Hearing of the Pāṇḍavas’ extraordinary and almost otherworldly conduct, his mind sank into anxiety and grief, and in that troubled state he called for his trusted messenger to give voice to his inner turmoil.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner moral conflict manifests outwardly: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s ‘long, hot sigh’ signals the heat of anxiety and grief born from attachment and fear of consequences. It also underscores the ethical role of truthful narration—he turns to Sañjaya to articulate and confront what he is feeling.
After hearing about the Pāṇḍavas’ remarkable deeds, Dhṛtarāṣṭra becomes deeply troubled. He exhales a long, heated sigh, calls Sañjaya close, and begins to speak—setting up the next portion of the dialogue framed by Vaiśampāyana’s narration to Janamejaya.