Shloka 40
अश्रमवासिनां विषादः — Lament in Hastināpura after the Elders’ Forest Withdrawal
लोकानन्यान् समर्थो5सि स्रष्टं सर्वास्तपोबलात् | किमु लोकान्तरगतान् राज्ञो दर्शयितुं सुतान्,“आप अपने तपोबलसे इन सब लोकोंकी दूसरी सृष्टि करनेमें समर्थ हैं, फिर लोकान्तरमें गये हुए पुत्रोंकोी एक बार राजासे मिला देना आपके लिये कौन बड़ी बात है?
lokān anyān samartho 'si sraṣṭuṁ sarvās tapobalāt | kimu lokāntaragātān rājño darśayituṁ sutān ||
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا— آپ اپنے تپوبل سے دوسرے دوسرے لوک بھی رچنے پر قادر ہیں؛ پھر جو پُتر دوسرے جہان کو چلے گئے ہیں، انہیں ایک بار راجا کو دکھا دینا آپ کے لیے کون سی بڑی بات ہے؟
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the traditional Mahābhārata idea that tapas (ascetic discipline) generates extraordinary spiritual potency; if one can accomplish cosmic-scale acts (like creating worlds), then offering compassionate relief to a grieving person—by granting a vision of departed loved ones—should be even more feasible. It frames spiritual power as something that can be directed toward consolation and humane purpose.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating events, points out that an ascetic endowed with great tapas is fully capable of showing the king his sons who have passed into another realm. The statement functions as a persuasive, rhetorical assurance: the requested reunion/vision is minor compared to the ascetic’s proven spiritual capacity.