Mahabharata 1.151.36 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 151, Shloka 36
बक-राक्षसस्य आह्वानम् तथा वृक्षयुद्धम्
Summons of Baka and the Tree-Weapon Engagement
वयं तु धृतराष्ट्रेण सपुत्रेण दुरात्मना । विवासिता न दग्धाश्व॒ कथंचिद् दैवसंश्रयात्
vayaṃ tu dhṛtarāṣṭreṇa saputreṇa durātmanā | vivāsitā na dagdhāś ca kathaṃcid daivasaṃśrayāt ||
だが我らは——邪心の持国王がその子らと共に我らを家から追い立て、焼き殺そうとさえしたが——焼かれはしなかった。どうにか天命にすがり、生き延びたのだ。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts adharma—cruelty and deceit by a ruler and his heirs—with the vulnerable party’s endurance. It highlights how unjust power can attempt expulsion and destruction, yet survival may come through daiva (providence) and steadfastness, implying that adharma does not guarantee success.
The speaker reports that Dhṛtarāṣṭra and his sons forced them out and even tried to have them burned, but they escaped and remained alive, attributing their survival to reliance on destiny/providence.
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