Shloka 25
पाण्डवानां पाञ्चालगमनम्
The Pāṇḍavas’ Journey toward Pāñcāla and News of the Svayaṃvara
हियसे त्वं बलाद भद्रे विश्वामित्रेण नन्दिनि । कि कर्तव्यं मया तत्र क्षमावान् ब्राह्म॒णो हाहम्,वसिष्ठजी बोले--भद्रे! तुम बार-बार क्रन्दन कर रही हो। मैं तुम्हारा आर्तनाद सुनता हूँ, परंतु क्या करूँ? कल्याणमयी नन्दिनि! विश्वामित्र तुम्हें बलपूर्वक हर ले जा रहे हैं। इसमें मैं क्या कर सकता हूँ। मैं एक क्षमाशील ब्राह्मण हूँ
hriyase tvaṃ balād bhadre viśvāmitreṇa nandini | kiṃ kartavyaṃ mayā tatra kṣamāvān brāhmaṇo hāham ||
Vasiṣṭha said: “O gentle one, auspicious Nandinī, you are being carried off by Viśvāmitra by sheer force. I hear your repeated cries of distress—yet what can I do in this matter? Alas, I am a forbearing brāhmaṇa.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between kṣamā (forbearance) expected of a brāhmaṇa and the immediate demand to resist injustice. Vasiṣṭha frames his restraint as a dharmic disposition, even while acknowledging the wrong of coercion.
Nandinī, Vasiṣṭha’s wondrous cow, is being forcibly taken away by King Viśvāmitra. Hearing her cries, Vasiṣṭha laments his limited response, presenting himself as a patient brāhmaṇa confronted with royal force.