Shloka 7
Adhyāya 129 — Public Acclaim of the Pāṇḍavas and Duryodhana’s Appeal to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
तदर्थ न च त॑ वीरं दृष्टवन्तो वृकोदरम् । मन्यमानास्तत: सर्वे यातो नः पूर्वमेव सः,“मात:! वह कहाँ गया होगा? शुभे! यहाँ भी तो मैं उसे नहीं देख रहा हूँ। वहाँ हमलोगोंने भीमसेनके लिये उद्यान और वनका कोना-कोना खोज डाला। फिर भी जब वीरवर भीमको हम देख न सके, तब सबने यही समझ लिया कि वह हमलोगोंसे पहले ही चला गया होगा
tadarthaṁ na ca taṁ vīraṁ dṛṣṭavanto vṛkodaram | manyamānās tataḥ sarve yāto no pūrvam eva saḥ ||
But even after searching for that purpose, they did not see the hero Vṛkodara (Bhīma). Then all of them concluded: “He must have gone ahead of us already.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores communal duty and care: when a companion is missing, one searches responsibly and then forms a measured conclusion based on available evidence rather than panic or blame.
The group searches for Vṛkodara (Bhīma) but cannot find him; afterward they infer that he has already gone ahead of them.