Shloka 25
Indrajit’s Binding, Restoration by Viśalyā, and Counsel Restraining Rāvaṇa (Āraṇyaka Parva 273)
जगाम राजन दु:खार्तो गड्जाद्वाराय भारत । स देवं शरणं गत्वा विरूपाक्षमुमापतिम्,राजन! युधिष्ठिरके ऐसा कहनेपर जयद्रथ बहुत लज्जित हुआ और नीचा मुँह किये वहाँसे चुपचाप चला गया। जनमेजय! वह पराजित होनेके महान् दुःखसे पीड़ित था; अतः वहाँसे घर न जाकर गंगाद्वार (हरिद्वार)-को चल दिया। वहाँ पहुँचकर उसने तीन नेत्रोंवाले भगवान् उमापतिकी शरण ले बड़ी भारी तपस्या की। इससे भगवान् शंकर प्रसन्न हो गये। त्रिनेत्रधारी महादेवने प्रसन्नतापूर्वक स्वयं दर्शन देकर उसकी पूजा ग्रहण की
jagāma rājan duḥkhārto gaṅgādvārāya bhārata | sa devaṃ śaraṇaṃ gatvā virūpākṣam umāpatim ||
Bhīmasena said: “O King, O Bhārata, tormented by grief, he set out for Gaṅgādvāra. Having gone there, he sought refuge in the god Virūpākṣa, the Lord of Umā.” The verse frames a moral turn: after humiliation and defeat, the character does not immediately return to worldly life but seeks divine shelter through austerity, implying that power pursued without righteousness leads to shame, while devotion is taken up as a means to recover strength and purpose.
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Defeat and shame arising from unrighteous conduct can become a turning point: instead of persisting in ego or vengeance, one may seek refuge in the divine through discipline and devotion. The verse highlights śaraṇāgati (taking shelter) as a response to suffering, suggesting that inner transformation—not mere worldly maneuvering—is the ethical path after wrongdoing or failure.
After being disgraced and overcome with sorrow, the person in question departs for Gaṅgādvāra (Haridvāra). There he approaches Śiva—named Virūpākṣa and Umāpati—as his refuge, setting the stage for austerities and the gaining of divine favor described in the surrounding passage.