Shloka 3
प्रावृट्-शरत्-वर्णनम् — Description of the Monsoon and Autumn; Sarasvatī in the Pāṇḍavas’ Exile
त॑ं शंससि भयाविष्टमापन्नमरिसूदनम् एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रीतुं परं कौतूहलं हि मे,जो बलके घमंडमें आकर पुलस्त्यनन्दन कुबेरको भी युद्धके लिये ललकारते थे, जिन्होंने कुबेरकी पुष्करिणीके तटपर कितने ही यक्षों तथा राक्षसोंका संहार कर डाला था, उन्हीं शत्रुसूदन भीमसेनको आप भयभीत (और विपत्तिग्रस्त) बताते हैं। अतः मैं इस प्रसंगको विस्तारसे सुनना चाहता हूँ। इसके लिये मेरे मनमें बड़ा कौतूहल हो रहा है
taṁ śaṁsasi bhayāviṣṭam āpannam arisūdanam | etad icchāmy ahaṁ śrotuṁ paraṁ kautūhalaṁ hi me ||
Janamejaya said: “You describe that foe-slaying Bhīmasena as seized by fear and fallen into distress. I wish to hear this matter in full, for it greatly stirs my curiosity—how could the very hero who, in the pride of his strength, even challenged Kubera, the son of Pulastya, and who slaughtered many Yakṣas and Rākṣasas on the bank of Kubera’s lake Puṣkariṇī, now be spoken of as terrified and afflicted?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how even renowned strength and past victories do not guarantee immunity from fear or adversity; it invites reflection on the instability of worldly power and the need to understand causes and context before judging a person’s present condition.
King Janamejaya challenges the narrator’s claim that Bhīma is frightened and distressed, citing Bhīma’s earlier feats against Kubera’s Yakṣas and Rākṣasas at Puṣkariṇī, and asks to hear the full account of what led to this surprising change.