Shloka 14
Vyāsa’s Boon-Offer and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse in the Forest Assembly (आश्रमवासिक पर्व, अध्याय ३६)
गान्धारी तु जलाहारी कुन्ती मासोपवासिनी । संजय: षष्ठभूक्तेन वर्तयामास भारत
gāndhārī tu jalāhārī kuntī māsopavāsinī | sañjayaḥ ṣaṣṭhabhūktena vartayāmāsa bhārata ||
那罗陀说道：甘达丽唯以清水为食而度日。昆蒂守持一月长斋，待一月既尽，方才进食一次。三阇耶啊，婆罗多之子，他以“第六间隔”而自养：两日绝食，至第三日傍晚方取一餐。此段彰显他们以苦行之律与自制之心，作为合乎达摩的回应，面对哀恸、出离与晚年林居之生。
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents tapas (austerity) as a disciplined, dharmic way of living in renunciation: restraint of appetite and endurance are shown as ethical practices that support detachment, inner steadiness, and acceptance in the aftermath of worldly loss.
Nārada reports the ascetic routines of the elders in the forest: Gāndhārī survives on water alone, Kuntī eats only after observing a month-long fast, and Sañjaya follows a strict cycle of fasting and then eating at a fixed interval (understood as after two days, on the third evening).