Shloka 12
Bhāgīrathī-tīra-śauca, Kurukṣetra-gamana, and Śatayūpa-āśrama-dīkṣā (गङ्गातीरशौच–कुरुक्षेत्रगमन–शतयूपाश्रमदीक्षा)
अपि मे जननी चेयं शुश्रूषुर्विगतक्लमा । अथास्या: सफलो राजन् वनवासो भविष्यति
api me jananī ceyaṁ śuśrūṣur vigataklamā | athāsyāḥ saphalo rājan vanavāso bhaviṣyati |
坚战王说道：“大王啊，我这位母亲——常怀恭谨、勤于侍奉——可曾不觉疲惫？若果真如此，大王啊，她在林野中的岁月便必将结出真实的善果。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames renunciation and hardship as meaningful when grounded in dharma: sincere service (śuśrūṣā) performed without complaint becomes a source of spiritual ‘fruit’ (saphalatā). It also highlights Yudhiṣṭhira’s ethical sensitivity—measuring success not by status but by the well-being and voluntary devotion of elders.
In the Āśramavāsika context, the elders have withdrawn to forest life. Yudhiṣṭhira, concerned for his mother Kuntī, asks whether she is able to serve attentively without fatigue; if she can sustain this service in the forest, he considers her forest-dwelling to have achieved its intended purpose.