Shloka 22
Chapter 49: Sañjaya’s Enumeration of the Pāṇḍava Coalition (पाण्डवसैन्यसमागम-वर्णनम्)
याज्ञसेनीमथो यत्र सिन्धुराजो5पकृष्टवान् । तत्रैषामभवद् द्वीप: कुन्तीपुत्रो वृकोदर:
yājñasenīm atho yatra sindhurājo 'pakṛṣṭavān | tatra eṣām abhavad dvīpaḥ kuntīputro vṛkodaraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: At the place where the king of Sindhu had dragged away Yājñasenī (Draupadī), there Bhīma—Kuntī’s son, called Vṛkodara—became for them an “island”: a steadfast refuge and protector amid peril.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as protective responsibility: when injustice is committed against a woman, the righteous and powerful must become a ‘dvīpa’—a secure refuge—by intervening decisively to uphold honor and justice.
Sañjaya recalls the incident where Jayadratha, king of Sindhu, forcibly carried off Draupadī; in that crisis Bhīma (Vṛkodara), son of Kuntī, stood as the Pāṇḍavas’ steadfast protector and support.