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 disse: Quando todos eles haviam desaparecido da vista, o grande sábio—de pé dentro da água—dirigiu-se, para o bem dos Kauravas, àquelas mulheres kṣatriyas viúvas. Disse ele: “Ó nobres damas! Aquelas dentre vós que são fiéis e desejam ir ao mundo de seus próprios maridos, rejeitai a indolência e, sem demora, mergulhai nas águas do Gaṅgā.” Ao ouvirem suas palavras, aquelas mulheres castas e devotas—depois de obterem a permissão de seu sogro, Dhṛtarāṣṭra—entraram nas águas do 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.