Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 42
Adhyāya 60: Dāna vs. Yajña—Royal Giving, Protection, and Karmic Share
वैशम्पायन उवाच तस्य तद् वचन श्रुत्वा प्रीतात्मा कुरुनन्दनः । नाश्रमेडरोचयद् वासं वीरमार्गाभिकाडुक्षया
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tasya tad vacanaṃ śrutvā prītātmā kurunandanaḥ | nāśrame 'dharocayad vāsaṃ vīramārgābhikāṅkṣayā ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: Nghe những lời ấy, hoàng tử nhà Kuru (Yudhiṣṭhira) lòng dạ hân hoan. Và vì trong ông dấy lên khát vọng bước theo con đường anh hùng của bậc kṣatriya, nên ông không còn tán thành việc cư trú trong āśrama (đời sống ẩn lâm/ly tục) nữa.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic tension: after receiving counsel, Yudhiṣṭhira’s mind turns toward the ‘vīramārga’—the responsible kṣatriya path—so he sets aside the impulse to withdraw into āśrama-life. It underscores that renunciation is not always the highest choice; one’s rightful duty and social responsibility can be ethically primary.
Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that Yudhiṣṭhira, pleased by the instruction he has just heard (from the elder authority in context), becomes resolved to follow the heroic/royal course and therefore abandons the idea of living in an āśrama.