अश्मसारमयं नूनं॑ हृदयं मम पार्थिवा:
aśmasāramayaṃ nūnaṃ hṛdayaṃ mama pārthivāḥ
ویشَمپایَن نے کہا—“اے بادشاہو! یقیناً میرا دل پتھر اور لوہے کا بنا ہے، کہ اتنا غم سہہ کر بھی ٹوٹتا نہیں۔”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the astonishing endurance of the human heart in the face of sorrow, prompting ethical reflection on suffering, resilience, and the inner cost of worldly conflict and loss.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana addresses assembled kings and remarks that his heart must be unnaturally hard, since it continues to bear overwhelming grief without breaking—an expression of lament within the Anuśāsana-parvan’s reflective discourse.