Shloka 5
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 180 — Svayaṃvara-Virodha and Pāṇḍava Parākrama
Draupadī Episode
अश्रौषमहमूरुस्थो गर्भशय्यागतस्तदा । आसवं मातृवर्गस्थ भगूणां क्षत्रियैर्वथे
aśrauṣam aham ūrūstho garbhaśayyāgataḥ tadā | āsavaṃ mātṛvargasthaṃ bhṛgūṇāṃ kṣatriyair vadhe || trayāṇāṃ pāvakānāṃ ca satre tasmin mahāmuniḥ | āsīt purastād dīptānāṃ caturtha iva pāvakaḥ ||
Aurva berkata: “Bahkan ketika aku masih berada di ranjang rahim, bersandar pada paha ibuku, aku mendengar dengan jelas ratap pilu para ibu kaum Bhṛgu saat mereka dibantai oleh para Kṣatriya.” Dan pada sidang kurban itu, di hadapan tiga api suci yang menyala, sang maharsi Parāśara bersinar laksana api keempat—cemerlang dan menggentarkan.
ऑर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames mass violence as a moral wound that echoes across generations: even an unborn Aurva ‘hears’ the mothers’ lament, suggesting that adharma leaves deep, inheritable consequences. It also highlights the ethical counterweight of tapas and yajña—spiritual radiance (tejas) embodied by Parāśara—implying that restraint, ritual order, and inner discipline are needed to confront cycles of vengeance.
Aurva recounts a prenatal memory: while still in the womb, he heard the cries of Bhṛgu-lineage women when Kṣatriyas killed the Bhārgavas. The scene then shifts to a sacrificial session (satra) with three blazing fires, where the sage Parāśara stands before them, shining like a ‘fourth fire,’ emphasizing the intensity of the ritual setting and the sage’s formidable presence.