Shloka 17
दक्षिणदिशि तीर्थवर्णनम्
Southern Tīrthas: Godāvarī to Dvāravatī
वयं तु तमृते वीरं वने5स्मिन् द्विपदां वर । अवधानं न गच्छाम: काम्यके सह कृष्णया,“नरश्रेष्ठ] इस काम्यकवनमें वीर अर्जुनके बिना द्रौपदीसहित हम सब पाण्डवोंका मन बिलकुल नहीं लग रहा है
vaiśampāyana uvāca | vayaṃ tu tam ṛte vīraṃ vane 'smin dvipadāṃ vara | avadhānaṃ na gacchāmaḥ kāmyake saha kṛṣṇayā ||
Dijo Vaiśaṃpāyana: «Pero sin ese héroe, en este bosque —oh, el mejor de los hombres— nosotros, los Pāṇḍavas, junto con Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī), no podemos aquietar la mente ni hallar sosiego alguno aquí, en Kāmyaka. En ausencia de Arjuna, ni siquiera el amparo del bosque nos concede paz».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the loss or absence of a key support—here, Arjuna—can unsettle even disciplined people; it implicitly values steadiness of mind (avadhāna) and shows that dharmic endurance in exile is not merely physical but deeply psychological, requiring mutual support within the family.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ forest exile in Kāmyaka, Arjuna is away; Vaiśampāyana reports that the remaining Pāṇḍavas, along with Draupadī, feel restless and unable to find mental peace in the forest without him.