maitreyaḥ uvāca - the great sage Maitreya said; mātuḥ - of his mother; sa-patnyāḥ - of the co-wife; saḥ - he; durukti - harsh words; viddhaḥ - being pierced by; śvasan - breathing very heavily; ruṣā - out of anger; daṇḍa-hataḥ - struck by a stick; yathā - as much as; ahiḥ - a snake; hitvā - giving up; miṣantam - simply looking over; pitaram - his father; sanna-vācam - silently; jagāma - went; mātuḥ - to his mother; prarudan - weeping; sakāśam - near.

The sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, as a snake, when struck by a stick, breathes very heavily, Dhruva Mahārāja, having been struck by the strong words of his stepmother, began to breathe very heavily because of great anger. When he saw that his father was silent and did not protest, he immediately left the palace and went to his mother.