Shloka 5
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 180 — Svayaṃvara-Virodha and Pāṇḍava Parākrama
Draupadī Episode
अश्रौषमहमूरुस्थो गर्भशय्यागतस्तदा । आसवं मातृवर्गस्थ भगूणां क्षत्रियैर्वथे,मैं जिन दिनों माताकी एक जाँघमें गर्भ-शय्यापर सोता था, उन दिनों क्षत्रियोंद्वारा भार्गवोंका वध होनेपर माताओंका करुण क्रन्दन मुझे स्पष्ट सुनायी देता था त्रयाणां पावकानां च सत्रे तस्मिन् महामुनिः । आसीतू पुरस्ताद् दीप्तानां चतुर्थ इव पावक: उस सत्रमें तीन प्रज्वलित अग्नियोंके समक्ष महामुनि पराशर चौथे अग्निके समान प्रकाशित हो रहे थे
aśrauṣam aham ūrūstho garbhaśayyāgataḥ tadā | āsavaṃ mātṛvargasthaṃ bhṛgūṇāṃ kṣatriyair vadhe || trayāṇāṃ pāvakānāṃ ca satre tasmin mahāmuniḥ | āsīt purastād dīptānāṃ caturtha iva pāvakaḥ ||
Dijo Ūrva: «Aun cuando yacía en el vientre, recostado sobre el muslo de mi madre, oí con claridad los gritos de dolor de las madres de los Bhṛgus cuando los Kṣatriyas los masacraban. Y en aquella sesión sacrificial, ante los tres fuegos sagrados que ardían, el gran sabio Parāśara resplandecía como un cuarto fuego—radiante y temible.»
ऑर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames mass violence as a moral wound that echoes across generations: even an unborn Aurva ‘hears’ the mothers’ lament, suggesting that adharma leaves deep, inheritable consequences. It also highlights the ethical counterweight of tapas and yajña—spiritual radiance (tejas) embodied by Parāśara—implying that restraint, ritual order, and inner discipline are needed to confront cycles of vengeance.
Aurva recounts a prenatal memory: while still in the womb, he heard the cries of Bhṛgu-lineage women when Kṣatriyas killed the Bhārgavas. The scene then shifts to a sacrificial session (satra) with three blazing fires, where the sage Parāśara stands before them, shining like a ‘fourth fire,’ emphasizing the intensity of the ritual setting and the sage’s formidable presence.