Shloka 24
धृतराष्ट्राश्रमगमनम् — The Pandavas’ Procession to Dhritarashtra’s Hermitage
जगाम तदहश्चापि तेषां वर्षशतं यथा । निशां प्रतीक्षमाणानां दिदृक्षूणां मृतान् नूपान्
jagāma tad ahaś cāpi teṣāṁ varṣaśataṁ yathā | niśāṁ pratīkṣamāṇānāṁ didṛkṣūṇāṁ mṛtān nṛpān ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Lumipas din ang araw na iyon—ngunit sa kanila’y wari’y isang daang taon ang haba. Sapagkat sila’y nakatindig na naghihintay sa pagdating ng gabi, sabik na masilayan ang mga haring yumao; kaya sa bigat ng dalamhati at pananabik, ang panahon ay tila humahaba, bagaman dahan-dahan ding sumapit ang wakas ng araw.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment and sorrow distort the experience of time, underscoring impermanence: even as events inevitably move forward, the mind—burdened by grief and longing—makes a single day feel like an age.
The people present are waiting for nightfall, eager to see the departed kings. Their anticipation and mourning make the day seem interminable, though it still passes.