Shloka 12
Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 1 — The Pandavas’ Exit from Gajasāhvaya and the Citizens’ Lament (जनमेजयप्रश्नः; पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानम्)
गतानेतान् विदित्वा तु पौरा: शोकाभिपीडिता: । गर्हयन्तोडसकृद् भीष्मविदुरद्रोणगौतमान्
gatān etān viditvā tu paurāḥ śokābhipīḍitāḥ | garhayanto 'sakṛd bhīṣma-vidura-droṇa-gautamān ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：城中百姓得知他们已然离去，皆为悲痛所压。人们一再出言责难——将过失归咎于毗湿摩、毗度罗、德罗纳与乔达摩诸长老。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how society expects moral guardianship from senior figures: when calamity strikes, public conscience often holds elders and advisers accountable for failing to restrain wrongdoing or prevent injustice.
After learning that certain key persons have departed, the citizens are overwhelmed with sorrow and repeatedly criticize prominent elders—Bhīṣma, Vidura, Droṇa, and Gautama—seeing them as implicated in the events that led to this painful outcome.