Shloka 41
अध्याय ५६ — च्यवन–कुशिकसंवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Lineage, Conflict, and Transmission
अन्वगच्छन्त तमृषिं राजामात्याश्चव सर्वश: । हाहाभूतं च तत् सर्वमासीन्नगरमार्तवत्,राजाकी इस आज्ञाके अनुसार नाना प्रकारके रत्न, स्त्रियाँ, वाहन, बकरे, भेड़ें, सोनेके अलंकार, सोना और पर्वतोपम गजराज--ये सब मुनिके पीछे-पीछे चले। राजाके सम्पूर्ण मन्त्री भी इन वस्तुओंके साथ थे। उस समय सारा नगर आर्त होकर हाहाकार कर रहा था
anvagacchanta tam ṛṣiṁ rājāmātyāś ca vai sarvaśaḥ | hāhābhūtaṁ ca tat sarvam āsīn nagaram ārtavat ||
Bhishma said: The king’s ministers, in every way, followed after that sage. And everything there became a scene of lamentation; the whole city, stricken with distress, resounded with cries of “Alas!”—as the royal order was carried out and the sage was escorted with abundant gifts. The passage underscores how a ruler’s command and a community’s conscience can collide: public grief arises when worldly power compels actions that feel morally painful, even when performed with outward honor and generosity.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when an action is performed with formal honor (escorting a sage with gifts), it can still cause collective moral anguish; dharma involves not only royal authority and outward propriety but also sensitivity to the suffering and conscience of the community.
A sage departs (or is led onward) and the king’s ministers follow him in full attendance; the entire city becomes distressed and cries out in lamentation, indicating a tense, emotionally charged moment for the populace.