Shloka 11
Bhīmasena’s Capture by the Serpent and Nahūṣa’s Self-Disclosure (भीमसेन-भुजङ्गग्रहणं नहुषोपाख्यानप्रस्तावः)
पीड्यमाना: समुत्थाय पाण्डवं पर्यवारयन् वेपमाना: प्राउ्जलयस्ते सर्वे विकृतानना:,द्विजातियोंको किसी प्रकार भी वेदोंका भान नहीं हो पाता था। जनमेजय! भूमिके भीतर जो प्राणी निवास करते थे, वे भी पीड़ित हो उठे और अर्जुनको सब ओरसे घेरकर खड़े हो गये। उन सबके मुखपर विकृति आ गयी थी। वे हाथ जोड़े हुए थर-थर काँप रहे थे और अस्त्रोंके तेजसे संतप्त हो धनंजयसे प्राणोंकी भिक्षा माँग रहे थे। इसी समय ब्रह्मर्षि, सिद्ध महर्षि, समस्त जंगम प्राणी, श्रेष्ठ देवर्षि, देवता, यक्ष, राक्षस, गन्धर्व, पक्षी तथा आकाशचारी प्राणी सभी वहाँ आकर उपस्थित हो गये
pīḍyamānāḥ samutthāya pāṇḍavaṃ paryavārayan | vepamānāḥ prāñjalayas te sarve vikṛtānanāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Tormented, they rose up and surrounded the Pāṇḍava on every side. Trembling, with palms joined in supplication, all of them stood there with faces distorted by fear and suffering—overwhelmed by the blazing power of his weapons—and begged Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) for their very lives. At that moment, brahmarṣis and siddha-sages, all moving creatures, foremost devarṣis, the gods, yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, birds, and other sky-ranging beings also arrived there and became present.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power, especially when it becomes overwhelming, imposes an ethical responsibility: those who can destroy must also know when to restrain. The scene highlights how beings seek refuge (prāñjali) before superior force, reminding the listener that true dharma includes compassion and measured use of strength.
Afflicted beings rise up and encircle the Pāṇḍava (Arjuna), trembling with folded hands and fearful, their faces distorted. They plead for their lives under the scorching brilliance of his weapons. Simultaneously, many classes of sages, gods, and other beings gather as witnesses to the extraordinary event.