Shloka 9
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 180 — Svayaṃvara-Virodha and Pāṇḍava Parākrama
Draupadī Episode
प्रतिषेद्धा हि पापस्य यदा लोकेषु विद्यते । तदा सर्वेषु लोकेषु पापकृन्नोपपद्यते
pratiṣeddhā hi pāpasya yadā lokeṣu vidyate | tadā sarveṣu lokeṣu pāpakṛn nopapadyate ||
atha pulastyaḥ pulaḥ kratuś caiva mahākratuḥ | tatrājagmur amitraghna rakṣasāṁ jīvitepsayā ||
Aurva berkata: “Selama di alam-alam masih ada seseorang yang mengekang perbuatan dosa, para pendosa tidak mungkin bermaharajalela di mana-mana. Demikian juga, wahai Arjuna, pembinasa musuh, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, dan Mahākratu turut tiba di sana, demi memelihara nyawa kaum Rākṣasa.”
ऑर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts an ethical principle: when there exists a moral restrainer—someone or some force that checks wrongdoing—sin cannot become universally dominant. Social and cosmic order depend on the presence of such restraint.
Aurva addresses Arjuna and explains a general moral point about the prevention of sin; then he notes that certain great sages—Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, and Mahākratu—arrive at a particular place with the intention of safeguarding the lives of the Rākṣasas.