Shloka 9
Brahmāstra-pratisaṃhāraḥ, Parīkṣit-nāmakaraṇam, Nagarotsava-varṇanam
Withdrawal of the Brahmāstra; Naming of Parīkṣit; Description of Civic Festivities
“वत्स! परलोकमें जाकर तू अपने पितासे मेरी यह बात कहना--“वीर! अन्तकाल आये बिना प्राणियोंके लिये किसी तरह भी मरना बड़ा कठिन होता है। तभी तो मैं यहाँ आप-जैसे पति तथा इस पुत्रसे बिछुड़कर भी जब कि मुझे मर जाना चाहिये, अबतक जी रही हूँ; मेरा सारा मंगल नष्ट हो गया है। मैं अकिंचन हो गयी हूँ” ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | vatsa, paralokaṁ gatvā tvaṁ pituḥ mama imāṁ vācaṁ vada— “vīra, antakāla āyātam vinā prāṇināṁ kathaṁcid api maraṇaṁ mahad duṣkaram. tata eva aham iha tvādṛśena patinā anena ca putreṇa viyuktā satī, yady api mama maraṇam ucitam, adyāpi jīvāmi; mama sarvaṁ maṅgalaṁ naṣṭam. aham akiñcanā jātā.” athavā dharmarājñāham anuñātā, mahābāho, bhakṣayiṣye viṣaṁ ghoraṁ, pravekṣye vā hutāśanam.
“孩子啊，你到了来世，就把母亲这番话转告你父亲：‘英雄啊，若非命定的终末时辰已至，众生无论用何种方式都极难求死。正因如此，我在此与如你般的夫君分离，又与这孩子永诀——本该死去，却仍活着；我一切吉祥已毁，沦为一无所有。’否则，臂力无双者啊，我将先得法王（Dharmarāja）许可，吞下可怖的毒药，或投身于熊熊烈火之中。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the Mahābhārata’s idea that death is governed by one’s destined time (antakāla): without that appointed moment, even intense suffering does not easily end life. It also frames self-destruction as an ethically weighty act, presented here as something sought only after seeking Dharmarāja’s authorization, highlighting the primacy of dharma and social-royal sanction in extreme decisions.
A grieving woman, speaking through a message to be delivered to her deceased husband in the afterlife, laments that she remains alive despite losing husband and son and despite feeling she should have died. In despair, she declares that she will seek Dharmarāja’s permission and then either drink poison or enter fire.