Shloka 256
Adhyaya 11 — Draupadī’s Grief, Demand for Justice, and Bhīma’s Departure
मामप्युद्धृतवान् कृच्छात् पौलोमीं मघवानिव । “इसी प्रकार हिडिम्बासुरसे भेंट होनेपर भी आप ही उनके आश्रयदाता हुए। विराटनगरमें जब कीचकने मुझे बहुत तंग कर दिया
mām apy uddhṛtavān kṛcchrāt paulomīṃ maghavān iva |
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Toi aussi, tu m’as arraché à un péril accablant, comme Maghavān (Indra) délivra jadis Paulomī. De même, lorsque survint la rencontre avec l’asura Hiḍimba, tu devins leur refuge et leur protecteur ; et dans la cité de Virāṭa, quand Kīcaka me tourmenta cruellement, tu me sauvas de ce grand désastre, comme Indra sauva Paulomī.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic guardianship: a righteous protector does not abandon those in distress. Ethical excellence is shown through timely rescue, steadfast refuge-giving, and compassionate intervention during crises.
The speaker recalls being saved from severe danger and compares that deliverance to Indra’s rescue of Paulomī. The surrounding prose context links this motif of protection to earlier episodes—Hiḍimba’s encounter and the harassment by Kīcaka in Virāṭa’s city—emphasizing repeated acts of safeguarding.