Shloka 18
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
मातरौ ते तथैवेमे शीर्णपर्णकृताशने । मम तुल्यव्रते पुत्र न चिरं वर्तयिष्यत:,बेटा! मेरी ही तरह तुम्हारी ये दोनों माताएँ भी व्रत धारणपूर्वक सूखे पत्ते चबाकर रहा करती हैं। अब ये अधिक दिनोंतक जीवन धारण नहीं कर सकतीं
mātarau te tathaiveme śīrṇaparṇakṛtāśane | mama tulyavrate putra na ciraṁ vartayiṣyataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hai người mẹ của con cũng vậy, giữ lời nguyện như ta, sống bằng cách nhai những chiếc lá héo khô. Con trai ta, các bà sẽ không thể cầm cự sự sống được lâu nữa.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharma of ascetic restraint: steadfast vows and simple subsistence can embody spiritual resolve, yet they also remind one of bodily impermanence. Ethical maturity lies in honoring such renunciation while recognizing the limits of the human frame.
Vaiśampāyana reports that the listener’s two mothers are living in the forest under severe vows, eating only withered leaves like the speaker. He adds a grave warning that they are unlikely to survive much longer under such austerity.