Shloka 16
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 180 — Svayaṃvara-Virodha and Pāṇḍava Parākrama
Draupadī Episode
भवतां च विजानामि सर्वलोकहितेप्सुताम् । तस्माद् विधध्व॑ यच्छेयो लोकानां मम चेश्वरा:
aurva uvāca |
bhavatāṃ ca vijānāmi sarvalokahitepsutām |
tasmād vidadhvaṃ yac chreyo lokānāṃ mama ceśvarāḥ ||
na hitaṃ rākṣasaḥ kaścit śakto bhakṣayituṃ mune |
ātmanāivātmanas tena dṛṣṭo mṛtyus tadābhavat ||
Aurva berkata: “Aku juga mengetahui bahawa kamu semua menginginkan kesejahteraan bagi seluruh alam. Maka, wahai para leluhur yang perkasa, lakukanlah apa yang benar-benar terbaik—bagi alam-alam ini dan juga bagiku.” “Wahai resi, tiada satu pun rākṣasa yang mampu memakan mereka; sebaliknya, oleh perbuatan mereka sendiri semata-mata, pada waktu itu mereka menyaksikan kematian mereka—yang terjadi akibat balasan yang lahir daripada diri mereka sendiri.”
ऑर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one has power, the right course is what promotes śreyas—true welfare—for oneself and for the worlds; harm and ruin often arise not from external enemies but from one’s own actions and their consequences.
Aurva addresses the powerful elders/ancestors, acknowledging their intention for universal welfare and urging them to choose the best course. The passage also notes that no rākṣasa could destroy certain persons; instead, their downfall came from their own deed—an internal, self-generated cause rather than an external attacker.