Shloka 12
द्रौपदीश्रमः तथा घटोत्कचस्मरणम्
Draupadī’s Exhaustion and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
द्यौ: स्वित् पतति कि भूमिर्दीर्यते पर्वतो नु किम् । इति ते मेनिरे सर्वे पवनेनापि मोहिता:,हवाके झोंकेसे मोहित होकर वे सब-के-सब मन-ही-मन सोचने लगे कि आकाश तो नहीं फट पड़ा है। पृथ्वी तो नहीं विदीर्ण हो रही है अथवा कोई पर्वत तो नहीं फटा जा रहा है
dyauḥ svit patati ki bhūmir dīryate parvato nu kim | iti te menire sarve pavanenāpi mohitāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Bewildered by the gusting wind, they all began to wonder inwardly, “Is the sky collapsing? Is the earth splitting apart? Or is some mountain being torn asunder?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moha—how powerful external disturbances (here, the wind) can overwhelm the mind and lead to fearful speculation. Ethically, it points to the need for steadiness and discernment rather than panic when confronted with sudden, unsettling events.
A violent wind or gust arises, and those present become confused and alarmed. They privately conjecture that a cosmic catastrophe may be occurring—sky collapsing, earth splitting, or a mountain breaking—thereby intensifying the dramatic tension of the episode.