Shloka 5
Saudāsa
Kalmāṣapāda) Released by Vasiṣṭha; Return to Ayodhyā; Birth of Aśmaka (अश्मक-जन्म
पुनर्द्र्ठैं हि तानीह प्रीणयन्ति न नस्तथा । भैक्षंच न तथा वीर लभ्यते कुरुनन्दन,वीर! यदि उन्हींको हम फिर देखनेके लिये जाये तो वे हमें उतनी प्रसन्नता नहीं दे सकते। कुरुनन्दन! अब भिक्षा भी यहाँ हमें पहले-जैसी नहीं मिल रही है
punar dṛṣṭaṃ hi tānīha prīṇayanti na nas tathā | bhaikṣaṃ ca na tathā vīra labhyate kurunandana ||
โอ้วีรบุรุษ แม้เราจะไปเห็นสิ่งเหล่านั้นอีก ก็หาได้ชื่นบานดังแต่ก่อนไม่ และโอ้ความปีติแห่งวงศ์กุรุ บัดนี้ทานบิณฑบาตก็หาได้ดังเดิมไม่
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights impermanence in worldly supports: familiar people may not bring the same comfort when circumstances change, and even basic sustenance (alms) can diminish. Ethically, it points toward endurance and adaptation—maintaining steadiness when external sources of reassurance and livelihood fail.
Vaiśaṃpāyana reports a speaker addressing a Kuru prince (Kurunandana), noting that returning to certain people would no longer bring the earlier joy, and that alms are not being obtained as before. The situation suggests increasing hardship and a shift toward a more difficult phase of life, likely involving wandering or austerity.