Shloka 22
वसुदेव–अर्जुन संवादः
Vasudeva–Arjuna Dialogue in the Aftermath of Dvārakā
अनुजम्मुश्न त॑ वीरं देव्यस्ता वै स्वलंकृता: । स्त्रीसहस्रै: परिवृता वधूभिश्न सहस्रश:
anujam muṣṇata vīraṃ devyās tā vai suvalaṅkṛtāḥ | strīsahasraiḥ parivṛtā vadhūbhiś ca sahasraśaḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。すると、きらびやかに身を飾った女たちは、その勇者の弟をさらい去り、幾千の女と幾千の花嫁とで彼を取り囲んだ。この光景は、ヤーダヴァ族の破滅ののち、抑制と秩序が崩れ、欲望と利得の機会が、ダルマにかなう人と親族の護りに取って代わるさまを示している。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, when protective dharma collapses, society can descend into exploitation: even kin (the ‘younger brother’) become targets, and crowds embolden wrongdoing. It serves as a warning about the ethical vacuum that follows collective ruin.
In the turbulent aftermath described in the Mausala Parva, richly adorned women, in vast numbers, surround and carry off the hero’s younger brother—an image of chaotic abduction and the breakdown of normal safeguards and propriety.