Shloka 2
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
कुन्तीमात: कथमिमामापदं त्वमवाप्तवान् । कश्षायं पर्वताभोगप्रतिम: पन्नगोत्तम:,“कुन्तीनन्दन! तुम कैसे इस विपत्तिमें फँस गये? और यह पर्वतके समान लम्बा-चौड़ा श्रेष्ठ नाग कौन है?' अपने बड़े भ्राता धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरको वहाँ उपस्थित देख भाई भीमसेनने अपने पकड़े जाने आदिकी सारी चेष्टाएँ कह सुनायीं
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Kuntīmātaḥ katham imām āpadaṃ tvam avāptavān? Kaś cāyaṃ parvatābhoga-pratimaḥ pannagottamaḥ?
Vaiśampāyana said: “O son of Kuntī, how have you fallen into this calamity? And who is this foremost of serpents, vast and massive like a mountain range?” Seeing his elder brother Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira present there, Bhīmasena then recounted in full the events—how he was seized and all that he had attempted thereafter.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights responsible inquiry in a crisis: before acting, one seeks clear understanding of the danger and its cause. It also underscores fraternal duty—elders and brothers attend to one another’s peril, and truthful reporting of events becomes the basis for dharmic response.
A speaker (framed by Vaiśampāyana’s narration) addresses Bhīma as ‘son of Kuntī,’ asking how he came into misfortune and identifying the huge serpent restraining him. With Yudhiṣṭhira present, Bhīma proceeds to narrate how he was captured and what he tried to do afterward.