Shloka 33
तमब्रवीन्मन्दपाल: प्राउ्जलिहव्यवाहनम् । प्रदहन् खाण्डवं दावं मम पुत्रान् विसर्जय,तब मन्दपालने हाथ जोड़कर हव्यवाहन अग्निसे कहा--“भगवन्! आप खाण्डववनका दाह करते समय मेरे पुत्रोंको बचा दें”
tam abravīn Mandapālaḥ prāñjalir Havyavāhanam | pradahan Khāṇḍavaṁ dāvaṁ mama putrān visarjaya ||
Lalu Mandapāla, dengan tangan dirapatkan penuh takzim, berkata kepada Havyavāhana (Agni): “Wahai Bhagavan, ketika Engkau membakar rimba Khāṇḍava, selamatkanlah anak-anakku dan lepaskan mereka.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid large, divinely sanctioned acts (like a forest’s burning), dharma can appear as a personal obligation: Mandapāla’s ethical duty as a father leads him to seek mercy for his sons through respectful prayer, highlighting compassion and responsibility within overwhelming events.
As Agni (Havyavāhana) is burning the Khāṇḍava forest, Mandapāla approaches with folded hands and requests that his sons be released/spared from the conflagration.