Shloka 8
न सन्ति लोकेषु पुमांस ईदृशा इत्येव ये भावितबुद्धयः सदा । ज्ञास्यन्ति ते55त्मानमिमेडद्य पाण्डवा विपर्यये षण्ढतिला इवाफला:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca:
na santi lokeṣu pumāṁsa īdṛśā ity eva ye bhāvitabuddhayaḥ sadā |
jñāsyanti te ’tmānam ime ’dya pāṇḍavā viparyaye ṣaṇḍhatilā ivāphalāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Mereka yang sentiasa memupuk keyakinan angkuh, ‘Di tiga alam tiada lelaki seperti kami’—Pāṇḍava yang sama itulah kini jatuh ke dalam keadaan yang berlawanan, menjadi seperti biji bijan yang kosong, tiada isi dan tiada hasil. Pada hari ini mereka akan mengetahui keadaan diri mereka yang sebenar.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arrogant self-assurance collapses when circumstances reverse; adversity exposes what is truly substantial. The verse warns against pride and highlights the ethical need for humility and self-knowledge.
In the context of the Sabha Parva’s unfolding humiliation and downfall, the speaker remarks that those who once believed themselves unmatched in the worlds—the Pāṇḍavas—have now been brought low by a reversal of fortune, becoming ‘hollow’ and powerless, and are forced to recognize their real situation.