Mahabharata — Ashramavasika Parva, Shloka 33

अश्रमवासिनां विषादः — Lament in Hastināpura after the Elders’ Forest Withdrawal

Devanagari script

एतत्‌ सर्वमनुस्मृत्य दहमानो दिवानिशम्‌

Transliteration

etat sarvam anusmṛtya dahamāno divāniśam | duḥkhaśokaparītātmā na labhe śāntim eva hi | pitāḥ etāsu cintāsu patito me na vidyate śamaḥ ||

Translation

វៃសម្បាយណៈបាននិយាយថា៖ «ពេលខ្ញុំរំលឹករឿងទាំងអស់នេះ ខ្ញុំដូចជាត្រូវភ្លើងឆេះទាំងថ្ងៃទាំងយប់។ ត្រូវទុក្ខ និងសោកវេទនាបង្ក្រាប ខ្ញុំមិនអាចរកសេចក្តីស្ងប់ស្ងាត់បានឡើយ។ ឪពុកអើយ! ដួលចូលក្នុងកង្វល់ទាំងនេះ ខ្ញុំមិនដែលបានឈានដល់ភាពស្ងប់ចិត្តទេ»។

Word by Word

• एतत्: this (all this)
• एतत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अनुस्मृत्य: having remembered
• अनुस्मृत्य: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (अनु + स्मृ)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund), Non-finite

• दहमानः: burning, being consumed
• दहमानः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दिवा: by day
• दिवा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दिव् (दिवा-शब्द)
• Form: Adverb

• निशम्: by night
• निशम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Father (addressed as pitāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Unprocessed remembrance of painful events turns into continual inner burning; the verse highlights the ethical-psychological need for śama (calm) and śānti (peace) through right understanding, acceptance, and dharmic resolution rather than endless brooding (cintā).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Ashramavāsika setting, a speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) confesses to an elder—addressed as “Father”—that recollection of past events keeps him consumed by grief day and night, leaving him unable to find peace.