Shloka 9
आह्वानमन्त्रप्रयोगः — Kuntī’s Invocations and the Birth-Portents of the Pāṇḍavas
रराज कुन्त्या माद्रया च पाण्डु: सह वने चरन् । करेण्वोरिव मध्यस्थ: श्रीमान् पौरंदरो गज:,कुन्ती और माद्रीके साथ वनमें विचरते हुए महाराज पाण्डु दो हथिनियोंके बीचमें स्थित ऐरावत हाथीकी भाँति शोभा पाते थे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | rarāja kuntyā mādrayā ca pāṇḍuḥ saha vane caran | kareṇvor iva madhyasthaḥ śrīmān paurandaro gajaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As King Pāṇḍu wandered in the forest together with Kuntī and Mādrī, he shone splendidly—like the glorious elephant Airāvata of Indra, standing between two she-elephants. The verse underscores the ideal of royal dignity maintained even in exile, and the harmony of companionship amid hardship.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in withdrawal from the kingdom, a ruler’s inner nobility and restraint can remain intact; dignity is shown not by location or power but by conduct and harmonious companionship amid adversity.
The narrator describes Pāṇḍu living and roaming in the forest with his two wives, Kuntī and Mādrī, portraying his splendor through a simile: he appears like Indra’s elephant Airāvata standing between two female elephants.