Shloka 30
पाण्डवानां पाञ्चालगमनम्
The Pāṇḍavas’ Journey toward Pāñcāla and News of the Svayaṃvara
नन्दिन्युवाच कि नु त्यक्तास्मि भगवन् यदेवं त्वं प्रभाषसे । अत्यक्ताहं त्वया ब्रद्मन् नेतुं शक्या न वै बलात्,नन्दिनीने कहा--भगवन्! क्या आपने मुझे त्याग दिया, जो ऐसी बात कहते हैं? ब्रह्मन! आपने त्याग न दिया हो, तो कोई मुझे बलपूर्वक नहीं ले जा सकता
nandinī uvāca: kiṃ nu tyaktāsmi bhagavan yadevaṃ tvaṃ prabhāṣase | atyaktāhaṃ tvayā brahman netuṃ śakyā na vai balāt ||
Nandinī said, “Have you truly abandoned me, O Blessed One, that you speak in this way? O Brahman, if you have not forsaken me, then no one can carry me off by force.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Spiritual guardianship and rightful relationship matter more than brute force: when a sacred being is under the protection of a righteous sage, coercion cannot legitimately prevail. The verse underscores dharma as protective power, not mere physical strength.
Nandinī responds to Vasiṣṭha’s words with concern, asking whether he has abandoned her. She asserts that if Vasiṣṭha has not renounced her, then no one is capable of taking her away forcibly—hinting at her divine power and the protective force of the sage’s tapas.