Shloka 28
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ८१: कृष्णस्य दूतप्रयाणम्
Udyoga Parva, Chapter 81: Krishna Sets Out as Envoy
अदासा: पाण्डवा: सन्तु सरथा: सायुधा इति । मयोक्ते यत्र निर्मुक्ता वनवासाय केशव
adāsāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ santu sa-rathāḥ sāyudhā iti | mayokte yatra nirmuktā vanavāsāya keśava ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Let the Pāṇḍavas be no longer in servitude—let them stand restored, with their chariots and weapons.” O Keśava, when I spoke thus, they were released from the condition of bondage, yet they still had to endure the hardship of exile in the forest.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that restoration of dignity (freedom from servitude, return of chariots and weapons) can coexist with the continued obligation to undergo hardship (forest exile). Ethically, it distinguishes between removing an unjust humiliation and still honoring or enduring the consequences of prior conditions, fate, or vows.
Vaiśampāyana reports a declaration that the Pāṇḍavas should be considered free (no longer treated as slaves) and restored to their martial status with chariots and weapons. Yet, despite this release from bondage, they proceed to bear the suffering of vanavāsa (forest exile), indicating that their trials are not immediately ended by this change in status.