Shloka 12
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 25: Kaurava Deliberation and the Search Directive (अन्वेषण-आदेशः)
गिरिकूटेषु तुड्रेषु नानाजनपदेषु च । जनाकीररेंषु देशेषु खर्वटेषु पुरेषु च
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: girikūṭeṣu tuṅgeṣu nānājanapadeṣu ca | janākīrṇeṣu deśeṣu kharvaṭeṣu pureṣu ca, mahārāja, vayaṁ parvataśikhareṣu nānādeśeṣu janasaṅkuleṣu sthāneṣu ca tathā kharvaṭeṣu paṇyapaṭṭaneṣu nagareṣu ca teṣāṁ bahu anvaiṣma, na ca kvacid api pāṇḍavānām adarśayāma | narāśreṣṭha, tava kalyāṇaṁ bhavatu | sambhāvayāmaḥ te sarvathā naṣṭāḥ syuḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Raja, kami mencari mereka di puncak-puncak gunung yang tinggi, di berbagai negeri, di wilayah yang padat manusia, bahkan di desa-desa dataran rendah, kota pasar, dan kota-kota besar. Namun di mana pun kami tidak menemukan jejak sedikit pun tentang para Pāṇḍava. Wahai insan terbaik, semoga kesejahteraan menyertaimu. Tampaknya mungkin mereka telah binasa sepenuhnya.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the limits of human effort and knowledge: even thorough searching across varied terrains and populated regions may yield no certainty. It also reflects the ethical posture of a messenger/report—speaking truthfully, offering auspicious goodwill to the king, and cautiously presenting a grave possibility without claiming absolute knowledge.
A report is being delivered to the king: despite extensive searches on mountain peaks, across many kingdoms, in crowded regions, and in villages and cities, no trace of the Pāṇḍavas has been found. The speaker therefore suggests the possibility that they may have perished.