Shloka 14
Svargārohaṇa-parva, Adhyāya 4 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Vision of the Celestial Assembly
Recognition and Explanation
“स्वयं भगवान् शंकरने तुमलोगोंकी प्रसन्नताके लिये इन्हें प्रकट किया था और ये ही द्रपदके कुलमें जन्म धारणकर तुम सब भाइयोंके द्वारा अनुगृहीत हुई थीं ।। एते पठ्च महाभागा गन्धर्वा: पावकप्रभा: । द्रौपद्यास्तनया राजन् युष्माकममितौजस:,“राजन! ये जो अग्निके समान तेजस्वी और महान् सौभाग्यशाली पाँच गन्धर्व दिखायी देते हैं, ये ही तुमलोगोंके वीर्यसे उत्पन्न हुए द्रौधदीके अनन्त बलशाली पुत्र हुए थे
ete pañca mahābhāgā gandharvāḥ pāvakaprabhāḥ | draupadyās tanayā rājan yuṣmākam amitaujasaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O King, these five radiant and greatly fortunate Gandharvas, blazing like fire, are in truth the mighty sons of Draupadī—born from your own heroic potency, endowed with immeasurable strength.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a moral-ontological theme of the Svargārohaṇa narrative: appearances in the heavenly realm can conceal deeper identities, and the fruits of human relationships (lineage, duty, and affection) are ultimately situated within a larger divine and karmic order.
Vaiśaṃpāyana identifies five fire-bright Gandharvas seen by the king as none other than Draupadī’s five sons—revealing their true identity and linking their celestial manifestation to their origin as the Pāṇḍavas’ offspring.