Shloka 1
Kubera’s Arrival and the Disclosure of Agastya’s Curse
Vaiśaṃpāyana–Janamejaya Narrative
/ हि आय न [हुक हि 7 आम (जटासुरवधपर्व) सप्तपञ्चाशदधिकशततमो< ध्याय: जटासुरके द्वारा द्रौपदीसहित युधिष्ठिर, नकुल, सहदेवका हरण तथा भीमसेनद्वारा जटासुरका वध वैशम्पायन उवाच ततस्तान् परिविश्वस्तान् वसतस्तत्र पाण्डवान् । पर्वतेन्द्रे द्विजैः सार्थ पार्थागमनकाड्क्षया
Vaiśampāyana uvāca |
Tatas tān pariviśvastān vasatas tatra pāṇḍavān |
Parvatendre dvijaiḥ sārthaṃ pārthāgamanakāṅkṣayā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, while the Pāṇḍavas were living there in trustful security, on that best of mountains, a brāhmaṇa arrived in their company—drawn by the wish to meet the sons of Pṛthā. The scene sets a moral contrast: the Pāṇḍavas’ openness to guests and reliance on dharmic hospitality becomes the condition in which a hidden threat can approach.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharmic openness—trust, hospitality, and readiness to receive guests—can coexist with worldly risk. It implicitly teaches discernment: righteousness should be maintained, yet one must remain vigilant against those who exploit trust.
As the Pāṇḍavas dwell on a mountain in a state of ease and trust, a brāhmaṇa (dvija) comes in their company, motivated by the desire to meet them. This arrival introduces the next development of the Jatāsura episode, where danger approaches under a seemingly harmless guise.