Shloka 363
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
अनावृष्टिरनुप्राप्ता राजन् द्वादशवार्षिकी । राजन! तदनन्तर सुदीर्घ काल व्यतीत होनेपर जगत्में बारह वर्षोतक स्थिर रहनेवाली अत्यन्त भयंकर अनावृष्टि प्राप्त हुई
anāvṛṣṭir anuprāptā rājan dvādaśavārṣikī |
वैशम्पायन उवाच—राजन्, चिरकालव्यतीते ततोऽनन्तरं द्वादशवार्षिकी घोरानावृष्टिर् जगति समुपस्थिताभूत्।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how prolonged collective suffering—here, a twelve-year drought—tests social and royal dharma: rulers and communities are ethically challenged to respond with responsibility, restraint, and protection of life amid scarcity.
Vaiśampāyana continues the narration to the king, describing that after a long interval a terrifying drought arose and endured for twelve years across the world, setting the stage for hardship and its consequences.