Shloka 466
अश्रमवासिनां विषादः — Lament in Hastināpura after the Elders’ Forest Withdrawal
तेनारम्भेण महता मामुपास्ते महामुने । “आपके पुत्र
tenārambheṇa mahatā māmupāste mahāmune |
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó grande sábio, por aquele grande empreendimento ele continua a honrar-me e a assistir-me. ‘Estes reis ilustres—meus filhos—que jamais voltaram as costas na batalha e eram supremamente sábios: aqui estão sentadas as suas cem esposas, pois os seus cem filhos foram mortos no campo de guerra. Estas minhas noras, suportando os golpes do luto e da dor, repetidas vezes intensificam tanto o meu pranto quanto o do rei. Ó grande sábio, todas elas, chorando sob a poderosa vaga de lamentação, sentam-se cercando apenas a mim.’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical weight of war’s aftermath: even ‘valorous’ and ‘wise’ warriors leave behind a community of suffering. It underscores compassion and responsibility toward those who bear the consequences—especially widows and elders—showing that dharma includes care for the grieving, not only heroism in battle.
The narrator reports a scene in which the bereaved women—wives of the slain sons—sit around the elder (the speaker’s ‘me’ in the quoted speech), crying intensely. Their mourning repeatedly deepens the sorrow of both the elder and the king, emphasizing the continuing trauma after the Kurukṣetra war.