Shloka 14
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Śrāddha Request and Bhīma’s Objection (Āśramavāsika-parva, Adhyāya 17)
तदहृष्टमनानन्दं गतोत्सवमिवा भवत् । नगर हास्तिनपुरं सस्त्रीवृद्धकुमारकम्,उस दिन बालक, वृद्ध और स्त्रियोंसहित सारा हस्तिनापुर नगर हर्ष और आनन्दसे रहित तथा उत्सवशून्य-सा हो रहा था
tad ahṛṣṭa-manānandaṁ gatotsavam ivābhavat | nagaraṁ hāstinapuraṁ sa-strī-vṛddha-kumāra-kam ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: Ngày ấy, thành Hāstinapura—cùng với phụ nữ, người già và trẻ nhỏ—trở nên vắng bóng niềm vui, như thể mọi lễ hội đã rời bỏ nơi này.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public life mirrors the moral and emotional state of its people: when a community is struck by profound loss, outward prosperity and celebration become hollow, reminding one of the fragility of worldly happiness and the need for steadiness (dhairya) amid impermanence.
The narrator describes Hāstinapura’s atmosphere: women, elders, and children alike are joyless, and the city feels as if festivals have vanished—signaling a period of mourning and heaviness in the wake of catastrophic events.