Shloka 5
सुभद्राहरणम्
Subhadrā-haraṇa: Arjuna’s Taking of Subhadrā and the Dvārakā Assembly’s Response
अथ दीर्घेण कालेन ब्राह्मणस्य विशाम्पते । कस्यचित् तस्करा जहु: केचिद् गा नृपसत्तम,महाराज! तदनन्तर दीर्घकालके पश्चात् एक दिन कुछ चोरोंने किसी ब्राह्मणकी गौएँ चुरा लीं
atha dīrgheṇa kālena brāhmaṇasya viśāmpate | kasyacit taskarā jahūḥ kecid gā nṛpasattama ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Nach langer Zeit, o Herr des Volkes, trieben einige Diebe die Kühe eines gewissen Brāhmaṇa fort, o bester der Könige.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights adharma in the form of theft—especially the stealing of cows, a key source of livelihood and a culturally sacred possession. It implicitly calls for righteous kingship and social responsibility to protect those harmed by such wrongdoing.
After a long interval, the story introduces an incident: some thieves steal the cows belonging to an unnamed brāhmaṇa. This event sets up subsequent actions and moral consequences in the surrounding episode.