Shloka 25
Adharma’s Short-Lived Prosperity and the Restorative Path of Tīrtha (लोमश–युधिष्ठिर संवादः)
वैशमग्पायन उवाच ततो भूयिष्ठश: पौरा गुरुभारप्रपीडिता: । विप्राश्न॒ यतयो मुख्या जम्मुर्नागपुरं प्रति,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तब बहुत-से नागरिक, ब्राह्मण और यति मानसिक दु:खके भारी भारसे पीड़ित हो हस्तिनापुरको चले गये
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | tato bhūyiṣṭhaśaḥ paurā gurubhāra-prapīḍitāḥ | viprāś ca yatayo mukhyā jagmur Nāgapuraṃ prati ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then, many of the townspeople—crushed under the heavy burden of grief—together with brāhmaṇas and foremost ascetics, set out toward Nāgapura (Hastināpura). The verse underscores how collective suffering drives even the settled and the renunciant alike to seek refuge and counsel at the royal center, where dharma and public order are expected to be restored.
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When society is weighed down by collective distress, people naturally turn toward recognized centers of authority and dharma—seeking guidance, protection, and restoration of order. The inclusion of both householders (citizens) and renunciants (yatīs) highlights that ethical crisis affects all social groups.
After a troubling event (implied by the preceding context), large numbers of citizens, along with brāhmaṇas and leading ascetics, depart for Nāgapura/Hastināpura. Their movement signals a communal response to calamity and a search for resolution at the capital.