अश्रमवासिनां विषादः — Lament in Hastināpura after the Elders’ Forest Withdrawal
एतत् सर्वमनुस्मृत्य दहमानो दिवानिशम्
etat sarvam anusmṛtya dahamāno divāniśam | duḥkhaśokaparītātmā na labhe śāntim eva hi | pitāḥ etāsu cintāsu patito me na vidyate śamaḥ ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “Ao recordar tudo isso, ardo dia e noite. Atingido por tristeza e luto, não encontro paz alguma. Pai, caído nessas mesmas inquietações, jamais alcanço a calma.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
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).
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.