Shloka 17
प्रश्नानुच्चारितानद्य व्याहरिष्यसि चेन्मम । अथ पश्चाद् विमोक्ष्यामि भ्रातरं ते वकोदरम्,परंतु एक बात है, यदि तुम मेरे पूछे हुए कुछ प्रश्नोंका अभी उत्तर दे दोगे, तो उसके बाद मैं तुम्हारे भाई भीमसेनको छोड़ दूँगा
praśnān uccāritān adya vyāhariṣyasi cen mama | atha paścād vimokṣyāmi bhrātaraṃ te vakodaram ||
The serpent said: “If today you will speak out the answers to the questions I have posed, then afterwards I shall release your brother Vakodara (Bhīma).”
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames knowledge and truthful speech as ethically consequential: answering rightly and promptly becomes the condition for saving another. It highlights responsibility in speech (vāk) and the idea that wisdom is not merely theoretical but can serve dharma by protecting life.
A serpent confronts a Pandava (the speaker’s addressee) and holds Bhīma (Vakodara) in its power. The serpent proposes a bargain: if the addressee answers the serpent’s questions, the serpent will release Bhīma afterward.