Shloka 373
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
वृत्त्यर्थ प्राद्रवन् राजन क्षुधार्ता: सर्वतोदिशम् । नरेश्वर! बारह वर्षोकी उस अनावृष्टिमें सब महर्षि भूखसे पीड़ित हो जीविकाके लिये सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें दौड़ने लगे
vṛttyarthaṃ prādravan rājan kṣudhārtāḥ sarvatodiśam | nareśvara! bāraha varṣokī us anāvṛṣṭimeṃ sab maharṣi bhūkhase pīḍita ho jīvikāke liye sampūrṇa diśāoṃmeṃ dauṛne lage |
毗湿摩波耶那说：“大王啊，饥饿所迫，诸大圣仙为求活命，奔走四方。”在那十二年大旱之中，连素来坚忍苦行的仙人们，也不得不离散，只为维系性命。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most disciplined and spiritually advanced are not exempt from basic human needs; dharma includes compassionate realism—society and rulers must recognize vulnerability during calamities and support the sustenance of all, including ascetics.
During a prolonged drought lasting twelve years, hunger spreads so severely that the great sages themselves scatter and hurry in all directions seeking means of livelihood, and Vaiśaṃpāyana reports this to the king.