Shloka 2
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 147 — Kanyā-paridevita
The daughter’s lament on lineage and protection
प्रहितो विदुरेणास्मि खनक: कुशलो हाहम् | पाण्डवानां प्रियं कार्यमिति कि करवाणि व:,“मुझे विदुरजीने भेजा है। मैं सुरंग खोदनेके काममें बड़ा निपुण हूँ। मुझे आप पाण्डवोंका प्रिय कार्य करना है, अतः आपलोग बतायें, मैं आपकी क्या सेवा करूँ? विदुरने गुप्तरूपसे मुझसे यह कहा है कि तुम वारणावतमें जाकर विश्वासपूर्वक पाण्डवोंका हित सम्पादन करो। अत: आप आज्ञा कीजिये कि मैं क्या करूँ?
prahito vidureṇāsmi khanakaḥ kuśalo hāham | pāṇḍavānāṁ priyaṁ kāryam iti kiṁ karavāṇi vaḥ ||
The digger said: “I have been sent by Vidura. I am skilled in the work of tunneling. I am to carry out what is dear and beneficial to the Pāṇḍavas—so tell me, what service shall I do for you?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic loyalty and prudent action: Vidura covertly arranges help for the endangered Pāṇḍavas, and the khanaka offers his specialized skill for their welfare. It frames ethical responsibility not only as open counsel but also as discreet, protective intervention when injustice and danger prevail.
A miner/digger, secretly sent by Vidura, approaches the Pāṇḍavas and declares his expertise in excavating tunnels. He asks what they want him to do, implying a planned hidden means of escape and protection amid the conspiracy against them.