Shloka 6
गान्धारीपुत्रोत्पत्तिः — The Birth of Gāndhārī’s Hundred Sons (and Yuyutsu); Omens and Counsel on Succession
निधाय च भयाल्लीनास्तत्रैवानागते बले | तेषु लीनेष्वथो शीघ्र ततस्तद् रक्षिणां बलम्
nidhāya ca bhayāl līnāstatraivānāgate bale | teṣu līneṣvatho śīghraṃ tatastad rakṣiṇāṃ balam, janamejaya! |
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「盗賊たちは恐れのあまり、盗品をそのアーシュラマに置き、王の護衛が到着する前にそこで身を隠した。彼らが隠れるや、ジャナメージャヤよ、守衛の一隊はすぐにその地へ到着した。追手は苦行に励む大聖仙たちを見て問うた。『二度生まれの最上者よ、盗賊はどの道を逃げたのか。われらはその道を取り、速やかに追う』。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The scene sets up a classic dharma-conflict: truthfulness and cooperation with justice (helping guards catch thieves) can collide with the duty to avoid causing harm and to protect those who have taken refuge. By placing the sages between pursuers and fugitives, the narrative prepares an ethical inquiry into how a righteous person should speak and act when speech itself may lead to violence.
Thieves, frightened of capture, stash the stolen property at a hermitage and hide nearby before the guards arrive. The guards reach the hermitage quickly and, seeing the sages there, ask them to indicate the route by which the thieves escaped so the pursuit can continue at speed.