Shloka 18
Āśramamaṇḍala-darśana and Ṛṣi-samāgama
Observation of the Hermitage Precinct and the Assembly of Sages
पप्रच्छ तमृषिं चापि वैशम्पायनमच्युतम् । कथावशेषं धर्मज्ञो वनवासस्य सत्तम,साधुशिरोमणे! तत्पश्चात् उन धर्मज्ञ नरेशने धर्मसे कभी च्युत न होनेवाले महर्षि वैशम्पायनसे पुनः धृतराष्ट्रके वनवासकी अवशिष्ट कथा पूछी
papraccha tam ṛṣiṁ cāpi vaiśampāyanam acyutam | kathāvaśeṣaṁ dharmajño vanavāsasya sattama sādhūśiromaṇe tatpaścāt ||
पप्रच्छ तमृषिं चापि वैशम्पायनमच्युतम्। कथावशेषं धर्मज्ञो वनवासस्य सत्तम॥ ततः स धर्मज्ञः स राजा वैशम्पायनं महर्षिमच्युतं पप्रच्छ—“साधुशिरोमणे! धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनवासकथायाः अवशिष्टं किं? तन्मे ब्रूहि।”
आस्तीक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic inquiry: a sincere seeker respectfully asks a trustworthy sage to complete an unfinished account. Ethically, it underscores that the later-life path of renunciation (vanavāsa) and its consequences deserve careful attention, not mere curiosity.
Astīka, described as dharma-knowing, asks the sage Vaiśampāyana to continue and complete the remaining narrative about Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s life in the forest—what happened after the portion already told.