Shloka 466
अश्रमवासिनां विषादः — Lament in Hastināpura after the Elders’ Forest Withdrawal
तेनारम्भेण महता मामुपास्ते महामुने । “आपके पुत्र
tenārambheṇa mahatā māmupāste mahāmune |
毗舍婆耶那说道：“大圣者啊，凭借那宏大的举措，他仍不断敬奉并侍奉于我。‘这些光辉的君王——我的儿子们——在战阵中从未背身退却，且智慧无上：他们的一百位妻子坐在此处，因为他们的一百个儿子已在战场上被杀。我的这些儿媳，忍受悲痛与哀伤的重击，却又屡屡加深我与国王的哀悼。大圣者啊，她们全都在强烈的哀号浪潮之下哭泣，围着我一人而坐。’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical weight of war’s aftermath: even ‘valorous’ and ‘wise’ warriors leave behind a community of suffering. It underscores compassion and responsibility toward those who bear the consequences—especially widows and elders—showing that dharma includes care for the grieving, not only heroism in battle.
The narrator reports a scene in which the bereaved women—wives of the slain sons—sit around the elder (the speaker’s ‘me’ in the quoted speech), crying intensely. Their mourning repeatedly deepens the sorrow of both the elder and the king, emphasizing the continuing trauma after the Kurukṣetra war.