Shloka 8
Hiḍimbā’s Petition, Conditional Union with Bhīma, and the Birth-Naming of Ghaṭotkaca (आदि पर्व, अध्याय १४३)
ते ताता यदि मन्यध्वमुत्सवं वारणावते । सगणा: सान्वयाश्रैव विहरध्वं यथामरा:,'पुत्रो! यदि तुमलोग वारणावत नगरमें उत्सव देखने जाना चाहो तो अपने कुटुम्बियों और सेवकवर्गके साथ वहाँ जाकर देवताओंकी भाँति विहार करो
te tātā yadi manyadhvam utsavaṁ vāraṇāvate | sagaṇāḥ sānvayāś caiva viharadhvaṁ yathāmarāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Dear sons, if you wish to go to Vāraṇāvata for the festival, then go there together with your attendants and with your own kinsmen, and enjoy yourselves like the gods.” In the narrative setting, the invitation is outwardly affectionate and permissive, yet it functions as a socially acceptable pretext to move the princes away—an ethically charged moment where courteous speech can conceal hostile intent.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical tension central to the Mahābhārata: pleasant, familial language can be used to mask harmful designs. It invites reflection on discernment (viveka) in social and political life—judging actions by context and intent, not merely by courteous words.
Vaiśampāyana reports an invitation addressed to the princes to go to Vāraṇāvata for a festival, accompanied by their relatives and attendants, to enjoy themselves. Within the larger episode, this serves as a pretext to send them away from the capital under the appearance of goodwill.