Shloka 2
खाण्डवदाहोत्तर-वरप्रदानम्
Boons after the Khāṇḍava Burning
यत्र यत्र च दृश्यन्ते प्राणिन: खाण्डवालया: । पलायन्त: प्रवीरौ तौ तत्र तत्राभ्यधावताम्,खाण्डववनमें रहनेवाले प्राणी जहाँ-जहाँ भागते दिखायी देते, वहीं-वहीं वे दोनों प्रमुख वीर उनका पीछा करते
yatra yatra ca dṛśyante prāṇinaḥ khāṇḍavālayāḥ | palāyantaḥ pravīrau tau tatra tatrābhyadhāvatām ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Allí donde se veía huir a los seres que habitaban el bosque de Khāṇḍava, allí mismo aquellos dos héroes principales se lanzaban en persecución.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the relentless mechanics of violent action: once a destructive undertaking is set in motion, even those merely trying to survive can be swept into its consequences. It invites ethical reflection on how heroic duty and sanctioned violence may still produce suffering for non-combatants.
During the Khāṇḍava episode, as the forest is being consumed, its inhabitants are seen fleeing in different directions. The two principal warriors (contextually Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa) rush wherever they see creatures escaping, pursuing them so that none can get away.