Shloka 17
दक्षिणदिशि तीर्थवर्णनम्
Southern Tīrthas: Godāvarī to Dvāravatī
वयं तु तमृते वीरं वने5स्मिन् द्विपदां वर । अवधानं न गच्छाम: काम्यके सह कृष्णया,“नरश्रेष्ठ] इस काम्यकवनमें वीर अर्जुनके बिना द्रौपदीसहित हम सब पाण्डवोंका मन बिलकुल नहीं लग रहा है
vaiśampāyana uvāca | vayaṃ tu tam ṛte vīraṃ vane 'smin dvipadāṃ vara | avadhānaṃ na gacchāmaḥ kāmyake saha kṛṣṇayā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “But without that hero, in this forest—O best among men—we, the Pāṇḍavas, together with Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī), cannot steady our minds or find any settled composure here in Kāmyaka. In Arjuna’s absence, even the refuge of the forest gives us no peace.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the loss or absence of a key support—here, Arjuna—can unsettle even disciplined people; it implicitly values steadiness of mind (avadhāna) and shows that dharmic endurance in exile is not merely physical but deeply psychological, requiring mutual support within the family.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ forest exile in Kāmyaka, Arjuna is away; Vaiśampāyana reports that the remaining Pāṇḍavas, along with Draupadī, feel restless and unable to find mental peace in the forest without him.