Shloka 15
स दृष्टवा पाण्डवान् दूरात् कृष्णाजिनसमावृतान् | आवृणोत् तद्वनद्वारं मैनाक इव पर्वतः,उसने दूरसे ही पाण्डवोंको कृष्ण-मृगचर्म धारण किये आते देख मैनाक पर्वतकी भाँति उस वनके प्रवेश-द्धारको घेर लिया
sa dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍavān dūrāt kṛṣṇājinasaṃāvṛtān | āvṛṇot tad-vanadvāraṃ maināka iva parvataḥ ||
Seeing the Pāṇḍavas from afar, clad in black antelope-skins, he blocked the entrance to that forest—like Mount Maināka standing firm—confronting them at the threshold and barring their way.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark austerity of the Pāṇḍavas’ forest-life (signaled by antelope-skins) and the moral pressure of confrontation at a boundary: dharma is tested not only in battle but also in restraint, endurance, and how one meets obstacles without abandoning rightful conduct.
A figure (the subject of ‘saḥ’) sees the Pāṇḍavas approaching from a distance, dressed in black antelope-skins, and positions himself to block the forest’s entrance, compared to Mount Maināka—immovable and imposing—thereby forcing an encounter at the threshold.