Shloka 16
Adhyaya 1 — Jaimini’s Questions on the Mahabharata and the Origin of the Wise Birds
कथञ्च द्रौपदेयास्तेऽकृतदाराः महारथाः ।
पाण्डुनाथा महात्मानो वधमापुरनाथवत् ॥
kathañca draupadeyās te 'kṛtadārā mahārathāḥ /
pāṇḍunāthā mahātmāno vadham āpur anāthavat //
Und wie kamen die Söhne Draupadīs—große Wagenkämpfer—, obgleich noch unverheiratet, die edelmütigen Söhne Pāṇḍus, dem Tod entgegen, als wären sie ohne Beschützer?
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FAQs
The verse highlights a recurring Purāṇic-Itihāsa concern: worldly excellence (mahāratha status) and even noble birth (pāṇḍunāthāḥ, mahātmānaḥ) do not guarantee protection from calamity. It frames a dharmic question about how apparent merit can still culminate in tragic outcomes—inviting an explanation in terms of fate (daiva), human agency (puruṣakāra), and residual karma.
This verse functions primarily as a narrative prompt within the Purāṇa’s dialogic frame rather than directly presenting sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita data. Indirectly, it leans toward Vaṃśānucarita/Itihāsa-style recounting (accounts of royal lineages and their deeds), since it concerns the Pāṇḍava line and an event tied to dynastic history.
Symbolically, “anāthavat” (as if unprotected) points to the fragility of reliance on external supports—status, lineage, or martial prowess. Esoterically, it gestures toward the Purāṇic view that true “nātha” (protector) is dharma itself (and ultimately the divine order), so when circumstances strip away visible protectors, the text invites inquiry into subtler causality and the hidden workings of time (kāla).