Shloka 71
एकोच्छवासात् तत: कुण्ड पिबति सम महाबल: । एवमष्टौ स कुण्डानि हापिबत् पाण्डुनन्दन:,वे एक ही साँसमें एक कुण्डका रस पी जाते थे। इस प्रकार उन महाबली पाण्डुनन्दनने आठ कुण्डोंका रस पी लिया
ekocchvāsāt tataḥ kuṇḍaṁ pibati samaḥ mahābalaḥ | evam aṣṭau sa kuṇḍāni ha apibat pāṇḍunandanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Alors, d’un seul souffle, ce puissant but le contenu d’une cuve. Ainsi le fils de Pāṇḍu, doté d’une grande force et de maîtrise de soi, but le contenu de huit cuves semblables.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds extraordinary self-mastery and endurance: the hero’s feat is framed not as gluttony but as controlled capacity—strength governed by composure (samaḥ), suggesting that power is ethically praiseworthy when paired with restraint.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a Pāṇḍu’s son drinking the contents of a large vat in a single breath, and repeating this until eight vats are emptied, emphasizing his exceptional physical prowess and steadiness.