Shloka 1
हि >> आय >> (0) हि २ 7 त्रिषष्ट्याधिकद्विशततमो<् ध्याय: दुर्वासाका पाण्डवोंके आश्रमपर असमयमें आतिथ्यके लिये जाना, द्रौपदीके द्वारा स्मरण किये जानेपर भगवान्का प्रकट होना तथा पाण्डवोंको दुर्वासाके भयसे मुक्त करना और उनको आश्वासन देकर द्वारका जाना वैशम्पायन उवाच ततः कदाचिद् दुर्वासा: सुखासीनांस्तु पाण्डवान् | भुक््त्वा चावस्थितां कृष्णां ज्ञात्वा तस्मिन् वने मुनि:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tataḥ kadācid durvāsāḥ sukhāsīnān tu pāṇḍavān | bhuktvā cāvasthitāṃ kṛṣṇāṃ jñātvā tasmin vane muniḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, on one occasion, the sage Durvāsā, learning that the Pāṇḍavas were living at ease in that forest and that Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) had already eaten and was resting, came there. The episode sets up a moral crisis: a guest’s arrival at an inopportune time tests the householders’ duty of hospitality (atithi-dharma) and the consequences of a powerful ascetic’s displeasure.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse initiates a test of atithi-dharma: even when resources and timing are unfavorable, one must strive to honor a guest. It also highlights the ethical danger of neglecting hospitality when the guest is a powerful ascetic, and prepares for the theme that sincere dependence on divine aid can resolve an otherwise impossible moral predicament.
Durvāsā arrives at the Pāṇḍavas’ forest dwelling after learning that Draupadī has already eaten and is at rest—an ominous detail because feeding a guest becomes difficult once the household’s meal is finished. This sets the stage for the ensuing fear of Durvāsā’s curse and the later divine intervention that protects the Pāṇḍavas.