Shloka 27
दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness
ह्ृतराज्यं ह्ृतद्रव्यं विवस्त्र क्षुच्छूमान्वितम् । कथमुत्सृज्य गच्छेयमहं त्वां निर्जने वने
hṛtarājyaṁ hṛtadravyaṁ vivastraṁ kṣucchūmānvitam | katham utsṛjya gaccheyam ahaṁ tvāṁ nirjane vane ||
“You have been stripped of your kingdom and your wealth, left without clothing, and afflicted by hunger and hardship. How could I abandon you and go away, leaving you alone in this lonely forest?”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma as compassionate fidelity: when someone is ruined and vulnerable, abandoning them is ethically unthinkable. True righteousness is shown through steadfast support in adversity.
Bṛhadaśva speaks to a companion who has lost kingdom and wealth and is suffering in the forest, declaring that he cannot leave them alone in such a desolate place.