Shloka 1636
युधिष्ठिरस्य कृष्णार्जुनादि-समाश्वासनम्
Yudhiṣṭhira’s reassurance and praise of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, Bhīma, and Sātyaki
पृथिव्यां धावमानस्य नान्यत् पश्यामि जीवनम् | “वीर! जल्दी जाओ। अपनी माता गान्धारीदेवीके पेटमें घुस जाओ; अन्यथा इस भूतलपर दूसरा कोई ऐसा स्थान नहीं है, जहाँ भाग जानेसे मुझे तुम्हारे जीवनकी रक्षा दिखायी देती हो
pṛthivyāṃ dhāvamānasya nānyat paśyāmi jīvanam | vīra! śīghraṃ gaccha | svāṃ mātaraṃ gāndhārīdevīṃ garbhe praviśa; anyathā'smin bhūtale nānyaḥ kaścid eva deśo'sti yatra palāyanena tava jīvarakṣāṃ paśyāmi ||
“Saat engkau berlari di atas bumi, aku tak melihat jalan lain untuk tetap hidup. Wahai pahlawan, segeralah pergi—masuklah ke rahim ibumu, Ratu Gāndhārī; jika tidak, di seluruh tanah ini tak ada tempat lain yang, dengan melarikan diri, dapat kulihat menyelamatkan nyawamu.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the extremity of war, mere speed or escape may not secure life; the passage underscores the crushing inevitability of danger and the desperate search for refuge, even invoking the symbolic ‘return to the mother’s womb’ as the only imaginable shelter.
Sañjaya describes a warrior fleeing across the battlefield and declares that there is no safe place left on earth; he urges the warrior to seek an impossible refuge—entering Gāndhārī’s womb—implying that ordinary means of escape cannot avert imminent death.