Shloka 5
अथ पश्याम्यहं पार्थान् प्राप्तानिह कथंचन । पुन: शोषं गमिष्यामि निरम्बुर्निरवग्रह:,“यदि मैं किसी प्रकार पाण्डवोंको यहाँ आया देख लूँगा तो जलका भी परित्याग करके स्वेच्छासे अपने शरीरको सुखा डालूँगा
atha paśyāmy ahaṃ pārthān prāptān iha kathaṃcana | punaḥ śoṣaṃ gamiṣyāmi nirambur niravagrahaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “If somehow I may behold the sons of Pṛthā arrived here, then I shall again go to self-drying—without water, without restraint—willingly letting my body waste away.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the intensity of resolve born from grief and longing: a person may take extreme vows (here, water-abstinence and self-mortification) to reach a desired meeting. Ethically, it points to the power—and danger—of uncompromising determination when driven by emotional distress.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker expresses that if he can somehow see the Pāṇḍavas here, he will again undertake severe austerity—renouncing even water—allowing his body to dry up, indicating a drastic vow tied to the hope of encountering them.