Shloka 7
Kṛṣṇa’s Departure, Auspicious Omens, and the Opening of the Uttaṅka Dialogue (कृष्णप्रयाण-निमित्त-उत्तङ्कसंवाद-प्रारम्भः)
नाथवन्तश्न भवता पाण्डवा मधुसूदन । भवन्तं प्लवमासाद्य तीर्णा: सम कुरुसागरम्,“मधुसूदन! हम सभी पाण्डव आपसे सनाथ हैं, आपको ही नौकारूप पाकर हमलोग कौरवसेनारूपी समुद्रसे पार हुए हैं
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
nāthavantaś ca bhavatā pāṇḍavā madhusūdana |
bhavantaṃ plavam āsādya tīrṇāḥ sma kurusāgaram ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Madhusūdana, we Pāṇḍavas are not without refuge, for you are our protector. Having reached you as our ferry-boat, we have crossed the ocean of the Kurus.” The statement frames Kṛṣṇa not merely as an ally in war but as the sustaining guide whose counsel and presence enable the righteous to pass through overwhelming conflict and moral peril.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that steadfast reliance on a righteous guide—here Kṛṣṇa as protector and moral compass—enables one to cross seemingly insurmountable crises. It emphasizes gratitude and the idea of divine or exemplary leadership as a ‘plava’ (ferry) across danger and ethical confusion.
The speaker (framed by Vaiśampāyana’s narration) conveys the Pāṇḍavas’ acknowledgment that Kṛṣṇa has been their support. By approaching him as their ‘boat,’ they have metaphorically crossed the perilous ‘ocean’ of the Kuru conflict—i.e., the overwhelming struggle against the Kauravas and the hazards of war.