Shloka 17
Adhyāya 32: Tāpasānāṃ Darśanaṃ — Ascetics Seek to Identify the Pāṇḍavas
गतेषु तेषु सर्वेषु सलिलस्थो महामुनि:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | gateṣu teṣu sarveṣu salilastho mahāmuniḥ |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Setelah mereka semua lenyap daripada pandangan, resi agung—berdiri di dalam air—demi kebajikan kaum Kaurava, menegur para wanita Kṣatriya yang telah menjadi balu itu. Baginda bersabda, “Wahai para dayang mulia! Sesiapa antara kamu yang setia dan ingin pergi ke alam suami masing-masing, buanglah kelalaian dan segeralah menyelam ke dalam air Sungai Gaṅgā.” Mendengar kata-katanya, para wanita suci yang penuh keyakinan itu—setelah memohon izin bapa mertua mereka, Dhṛtarāṣṭra—pun masuk ke dalam air Gaṅgā.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames steadfastness to one’s chosen dharma as requiring promptness and inner resolve: those who seek reunion with their husbands are urged to abandon inertia, act decisively, and do so with due respect for elders and social order (seeking Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s permission).
After others disappear from view, Vyāsa stands in the Gaṅgā and instructs the widowed Kṣatriya women that any who wish to reach their husbands’ realm should immediately plunge into the river. Trusting him, and after obtaining Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s consent, the devoted women enter the Gaṅgā.