Shloka 18
Āśramamaṇḍala-darśana and Ṛṣi-samāgama
Observation of the Hermitage Precinct and the Assembly of Sages
पप्रच्छ तमृषिं चापि वैशम्पायनमच्युतम् । कथावशेषं धर्मज्ञो वनवासस्य सत्तम
papraccha tam ṛṣiṁ cāpi vaiśampāyanam acyutam | kathāvaśeṣaṁ dharmajño vanavāsasya sattama sādhūśiromaṇe tatpaścāt ||
അതിനുശേഷം ധർമ്മജ്ഞനായ ആ രാജാവ്, ധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഒരിക്കലും ച്യുതനാകാത്ത മഹർഷി വൈശമ്പായനോടു ധൃതരാഷ്ട്രന്റെ വനവാസത്തിന്റെ ശേഷിച്ച കഥ ചോദിച്ചു—“സാധുശിരോമണേ! ശേഷമുള്ളത് അരുളിച്ചെയ്യുക.”
आस्तीक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic inquiry: a sincere seeker respectfully asks a trustworthy sage to complete an unfinished account. Ethically, it underscores that the later-life path of renunciation (vanavāsa) and its consequences deserve careful attention, not mere curiosity.
Astīka, described as dharma-knowing, asks the sage Vaiśampāyana to continue and complete the remaining narrative about Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s life in the forest—what happened after the portion already told.