Shloka 5
Puṣkara-Tīrtha-Māhātmya and the Phala of Pilgrimage
Nārada–Yudhiṣṭhira; Pulastya–Bhīṣma Transmission
आक्षिप्तसूत्रा मणयश्कछिन्नपक्षा इव द्विजा: | अप्रीतमनस: सर्वे बभूवुरथ पाण्डवा:,जैसे मणियोंकी मालाका सूत टूट जाय अथवा पक्षियोंके पंख कट जाये, वैसी दशामें उन मणियों और पक्षियोंकी जो अवस्था होती है, वैसी ही अर्जुनके बिना पाण्डवोंकी थी। उन सबके मनमें तनिक भी प्रसन्नता नहीं थी
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
ākṣiptasūtrā maṇayaś chinnapakṣā iva dvijāḥ |
aprītamanasaḥ sarve babhūvur atha pāṇḍavāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Seperti untaian manik-manik yang talinya putus, atau seperti burung yang sayapnya terpotong, demikianlah para Pāṇḍava tanpa Arjuna. Hati mereka semua muram; tak tersisa secercah kegembiraan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a virtuous, capable companion (like Arjuna) can be a unifying ‘thread’ for a group; when such support is absent, collective strength and joy collapse. Ethically, it highlights the value of steadfast allies and the fragility of morale when dharmic leadership is removed.
In the Vana Parva context, Arjuna is away from the Pāṇḍavas, and the narrator describes their condition in his absence: they are dispirited and diminished, compared to scattered beads after a snapped thread and to birds rendered helpless by cut wings.