Shloka 22
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 58 — Saṃjaya’s Audience and Kṛṣṇa’s Deterrent Counsel (संजय-प्रवेशः कृष्णवाक्यं च)
ऋणमेतत् प्रवृद्धं मे हृदयान्नापसर्पति । यद् गोविन्देति चुक्रोश कृष्णा मां दूरवासिनम्
ṛṇam etat pravṛddhaṃ me hṛdayān nāpasarpati | yad govindeti cukroś kṛṣṇā māṃ dūravāsinam ||
“This debt of gratitude, grown great within me, does not leave my heart: that Draupadī cried out ‘Govinda!’—calling to me though I was far away.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ṛṇa as a moral debt: when one is called upon in a moment of distress—especially through a sincere invocation—one bears an enduring obligation of gratitude and responsibility. It underscores dharma as responsiveness to the vulnerable and the lasting weight of received trust.
Vāyudeva recalls an event that remains fixed in his heart: Draupadī (Kṛṣṇā) cried out the name ‘Govinda’ while he was far away. He presents this cry as an unshakable claim upon him—a remembered appeal that binds him by gratitude and duty.