Shloka 8
अध्याय १५ (Āśramavāsika-parva): धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनवासानुज्ञायाचनम् — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s renewed plea for consent to forest-dwelling
वधूपरिवृता राज्ञि नगरं गन्तुमर्हसि । राजा यात्वेष धर्मात्मा तापस्ये कृतनिश्चय:
vadhūparivṛtā rājñi nagaraṃ gantum arhasi | rājā yātveṣa dharmātmā tāpasye kṛtaniścayaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “O reyna, kasama ang iyong mga manugang na babae, marapat kang bumalik sa lungsod. Tungkol naman sa hari—ang taong ito na may kaluluwang matuwid—nagpasya na siyang lumisan at yakapin ang buhay ng isang asceta, isang tapasvin.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as role-appropriate conduct: the queen is advised to return to civic life with the household women, while the king, having formed a firm resolve, embraces tapas (ascetic discipline). It frames renunciation not as impulse but as a deliberate, ethically grounded decision.
Vaiśampāyana reports an instruction to the queen: she should go back to the city accompanied by the daughters-in-law, whereas the king—described as dharmātmā—intends to depart for an ascetic mode of life, indicating a decisive shift from royal household life toward forest austerity.