Shloka 19
Duryodhana Seized by Citraseṇa; Kaurava Petition to Yudhiṣṭhira (दुर्योधनापहारः / चित्रसेनगन्धर्वग्रहणम्)
मातर ऊचु: इच्छाम तासां मातृणां प्रजा भोक्तुं प्रयच्छ नः । त्वया सह पृथग्भूता ये च तासामथेश्वरा:,माताओंने कहा--यदि ऐसी बात है, तो हमें इन लोकमाताओंकी संतानें सौंप दो। हम उन्हें खाना चाहती हैं। तुमसे पृथक् जो उन संतानोंके पिता आदि अभिभावक हैं, उन्हें भी हम खाना चाहती हैं
mātara ūcuḥ: icchāma tāsāṁ mātṝṇāṁ prajā bhoktuṁ prayaccha naḥ | tvayā saha pṛthagbhūtā ye ca tāsām atheśvarāḥ ||
Para Ibu berkata: “Kami ingin melahap keturunan para Dewi-Ibu itu; berikan mereka kepada kami. Dan mereka yang terpisah darimu, yang menjadi tuan atas anak-anak itu—para ayah dan para penjaga—mereka pun ingin kami telan.”
स्कन्द उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical tension: powerful beings may demand what is not rightfully theirs, even targeting the vulnerable (children) and their protectors. It frames the need for restraint and righteous guardianship (dharma) when confronted by predatory claims, even from divine or semi-divine forces.
A group of Mother-deities addresses Skanda, asking him to hand over the children of certain mother-goddesses so they can devour them, and also to give up the children’s separate fathers/guardians (‘lords’) so they too may be consumed. The request signals a threatening, destructive intent that Skanda must respond to within the story’s moral framework.