Shloka 131
Pāṇḍu’s Marriages, Conquests, and Triumphal Return (पाण्डोर्विवाह-विजय-प्रत्यागमनम्)
अभिभूय स मां बालां तेजसा वशमानयत् । तमसा लोकमावृत्य नौगतामेव भारत
abhibhūya sa māṃ bālāṃ tejasā vaśam ānayat | tamasā lokam āvṛtya naugatām eva bhārata ||
Tras someterme—cuando yo era aún una muchacha—me llevó bajo su dominio por la fuerza de su esplendor. Cubriendo el mundo de tinieblas, oh Bhārata, me arrebató como quien se apodera de una mujer ya embarcada en una barca—con rapidez y más allá de toda resistencia.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical violation: overpowering a vulnerable person through sheer force and deception (darkness). It implicitly condemns coercion and the misuse of tejas (power) when it is turned into domination rather than protection.
The speaker recounts an abduction: a powerful man subdues the narrator, described as a young girl, and carries her off after enveloping the surroundings in darkness—likened to taking away someone already set in a boat, i.e., quickly and without effective resistance.