Shloka 5
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 115 — Mādri’s request; invocation of the Aśvins; birth and naming of the Pāṇḍavas
आनुकूल्ये वर्तमानां धृतराष्ट्रो भ्यवर्तत । कथं च शप्तस्य सत: पाण्डोस्तेन महात्मना
ānukūlye vartamānāṃ dhṛtarāṣṭro 'bhyavartata | kathaṃ ca śaptasya sataḥ pāṇḍos tena mahātmanā ||
سأل جاناميجايا: «وهم يتصرّفون بحسن نيةٍ وموافقة، كيف آلَ الأمرُ بدهرتراشترا إلى معارضتهم؟ وكيف تعامل ذلك العظيمُ النفس مع باندو، مع أن باندو كان واقعًا تحت لعنة؟»
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into how power and kinship can diverge from goodwill: even when others act cooperatively, a ruler may still oppose them, and a curse (śāpa) can become a decisive moral and political factor shaping duty, conduct, and succession.
Janamejaya presses the narrator for clarification about two linked issues: why Dhṛtarāṣṭra acted in opposition despite an atmosphere of goodwill, and how the noble figure involved handled matters concerning Pāṇḍu, who was living under a curse—setting up explanation of the dynastic tensions and the consequences of Pāṇḍu’s śāpa.