Shloka 76
भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः
Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt
पुत्रजन्म परीप्सन् वै पृथिवीमन्वसंचरत् । अहिच्छत्रं च विषयं द्रोणग: समभिपद्यत
putrajanma parīpsan vai pṛthivīm anvasañcarat | ahicchatraṃ ca viṣayaṃ droṇagaḥ samabhipadyata |
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: Menginginkan kelahiran seorang putera, Drupada mengembara di muka bumi mencari jalan untuk memperolehnya. Sementara itu, putera Droṇa (Aśvatthāmā) menguasai wilayah dan kerajaan yang bernama Ahicchatra. Petikan ini menegaskan bahawa rasa kekurangan pada kekuatan diri boleh mendorong seorang raja mengejar ikhtiar luar biasa—bahkan yang sarat pertikaian etika—sedangkan pihak lawan mengukuhkan kuasa politik melalui kekerasan dan kesempatan.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a ruler’s sense of insufficiency in worldly power can lead to intense pursuit of alternative means (such as seeking a powerful heir), while political realities continue to shift through conquest and control. It implicitly raises ethical questions about ambition, insecurity, and the costs of rivalry.
Drupada, unable to overcome Droṇa by conventional martial strength, seeks the birth of a powerful son and roams the world toward that end. At the same time, Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā gains control over the territory known as Ahicchatra.