Shloka 3
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Saṃvāda: Anuśocana, Nimittāni, and Vidura’s Warning
अप्लवे5म्भसि मग्नानामप्रतिछे निमज्जताम् । पाज्चाली पाण्डुपुत्राणां नौरेषा पारगाभवत्
aplāve ’mbhasi magnānām apratiṣṭhe nimajjatām | pāñcālī pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ naur eṣā pāragābhavat ||
Dijo Karna: «Cuando los hijos de Pāṇḍu se hundían en una inundación insondable—sin apoyo firme, sumergiéndose una y otra vez—esta Pāñcālī se volvió para ellos una barca capaz de llevarlos a la otra orilla».
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
In extreme adversity, when conventional supports collapse, a righteous and steadfast ally can become the very means of deliverance; the verse elevates Draupadī as a sustaining moral and strategic force for the Pāṇḍavas.
Karna, speaking in the royal assembly context, uses a vivid metaphor: the Pāṇḍavas are like men drowning in a supportless, unfordable flood, and Draupadī (Pāñcālī) is portrayed as the boat that enables them to reach safety—i.e., to endure and ultimately overcome their calamity.