Shloka 28
Dvaipāyana-hrade Duryodhanasya Māyā — Yudhiṣṭhirasya Dharmoktiḥ (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 30)
ते पूर्व पाण्डुपुत्रेण पृष्ठा ह्यासन् सुतं तव । यद्च्छोपगतास्तत्र राजानं परिमार्गता
te pūrvaṁ pāṇḍuputreṇa pṛṣṭā hy āsan sutaṁ tava | yadṛcchopagatās tatra rājānaṁ parimārjatā ||
Sañjaya said: Earlier, as King Yudhiṣṭhira—the son of Pāṇḍu—was searching for the king (Duryodhana), he questioned those hunters who had come there by chance about your son. The scene shows that even amid the tumult of war, inquiry and action move under the sway of fate and circumstance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the role of yadṛcchā (chance/contingency) in human affairs: even deliberate efforts—like a king’s search in war—intersect with unforeseen encounters, reminding the listener that outcomes are shaped by both agency and circumstance.
Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira, while looking for Duryodhana, questioned some hunters who happened to arrive there, asking them about Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana) and his whereabouts.