Shloka 44
Vyāsa’s Boon-Offer and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse in the Forest Assembly (आश्रमवासिक पर्व, अध्याय ३६)
तं च वृद्ध तथा दग्धं हतपुत्र॑ं नराधिपम् । अन्वशोचन्त ते सर्वे गान्धारीं च तपस्विनीम्,पुत्रहीन बूढ़े राजा धृतराष्ट्र तथा तपस्विनी गान्धारी-देवीको इस प्रकार दग्ध हुई सुनकर सब लोग बारंबार शोक करने लगे
taṃ ca vṛddhaṃ tathā dagdhaṃ hataputraṃ narādhipam | anvaśocanta te sarve gāndhārīṃ ca tapasvinīm ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った――息子らを失った老王が火に焼かれ、また苦行の王妃ガーンドハーリーも炎の中で命を落としたと聞くや、そこに居合わせた者たちは皆、幾度も幾度も彼らを嘆き悲しんだ。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even royal power ends in vulnerability: old age, bereavement, and death. The verse highlights impermanence and the ethical seriousness of actions whose consequences culminate in suffering, while also affirming compassion as a shared human response.
News spreads that the aged king Dhṛtarāṣṭra—already devastated by the death of his sons—has been burned, and that the ascetic Gāndhārī has also perished. Those around them mourn repeatedly for the couple.