अश्मसारमयं नूनं॑ हृदयं मम पार्थिवा:
aśmasāramayaṃ nūnaṃ hṛdayaṃ mama pārthivāḥ
毗湿摩波衍那说道:“诸王啊,我的心必是石与铁所铸——因为承受了如此悲痛,它竟仍未碎裂。”
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.