Shloka 2
संनिवर्तय कौन्तेय क्षुत्पिपासे बलाश्रयात् । ततो बलं च दाक्ष्यं च संश्रयस्व वृकोदर,वृकोदर! तुम बलका आश्रय लेकर अपनी भूख-प्यास मिटा दो। फिर शारीरिक शक्ति और चतुरताका सहारा लो
saṁnivartaya kaunteya kṣutpipāse balāśrayāt | tato balaṁ ca dākṣyaṁ ca saṁśrayasva vṛkodara ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O son of Kuntī, first turn back (from this strain) and relieve your hunger and thirst by taking refuge in strength—by securing sustenance. Then, O Vṛkodara, rely upon bodily power and practical skill. Let endurance and wise effort follow nourishment, not precede it.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustenance and stability come first: one should address basic needs like hunger and thirst, and only then depend on strength and skill for effective action. The verse frames practical self-care as part of disciplined, ethical conduct.
Yudhiṣṭhira counsels Bhīma (addressed as Kaunteya and Vṛkodara) to pause and restore himself—relieve hunger and thirst—so that his subsequent effort can be grounded in real strength and competent strategy rather than depleted impulse.