Shloka 23
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Permission for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Forest-Retirement
“एक तो मैं जन्मका अन्धा हूँ, दूसरे बूढ़ा हो गया हूँ, तीसरे मेरे सभी पुत्र मारे गये हैं। महाभाग प्रजाजन! अब आप ही बतायें, वनमें जानेके सिवा मेरे लिये दूसरी कौन-सी गति है? इसलिये अब आपलोग मुझे जानेकी आज्ञा दें” ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ekaḥ tu ahaṃ janmakā andhaḥ asmi, dvitīyaḥ vṛddhaḥ bhūtaḥ asmi, tṛtīyaḥ mama sarve putrāḥ hatāḥ santi | mahābhāga prajājanāḥ! idānīm eva brūta—vanam gantuṃ vinā mama anyā kā gatir asti? tasmāt idānīm yūyaṃ mām gantum ājñāpayata || tasya tad vacanaṃ śrutvā sarve te kurujāṅgalāḥ | bāṣpa-saṃdigdha-yā vācā ruruduḥ, bharatarṣabha, bharataśreṣṭha! rājñaḥ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya etāḥ vācaḥ śrutvā tatra upasthitānāṃ kurujāṅgala-nivāsināṃ sarveṣāṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ netrebhyaḥ aśru-dhārāḥ pravavruḥ, te ca phūṭ-phūṭ-kṛtvā ruroduḥ |
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Primeiro, sou cego de nascença; segundo, envelheci; terceiro, todos os meus filhos foram mortos. Ó povo nobre, dizei-me vós mesmos: que outro caminho me resta senão ir para a floresta? Portanto, concedei-me licença para partir.” Ao ouvirem essas palavras, todos os habitantes de Kuru-jāṅgala, com a voz embargada pelas lágrimas, começaram a chorar em alta voz. Ó touro entre os Bhāratas, ó o melhor dos Bhāratas—ao escutarem o discurso do rei Dhṛtarāṣṭra, os olhos de todos os homens presentes, moradores de Kuru-jāṅgala, transbordaram em correntes de lágrimas, e eles soluçaram sem controle.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames renunciation as a dharmic response to irreversible loss and the burdens of age: when worldly roles (power, lineage, purpose) collapse, one may seek a different ‘gati’—a disciplined withdrawal toward the forest life. It also highlights the ethical bond between ruler and subjects, shown through shared grief and compassion.
King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, citing his lifelong blindness, his old age, and the death of all his sons, asks his people to permit him to depart for the forest. The inhabitants of Kuru-jāṅgala who are present hear this and break down, their voices choked with tears, weeping loudly at his decision and suffering.