Shloka 23
Chapter 49: Sañjaya’s Enumeration of the Pāṇḍava Coalition (पाण्डवसैन्यसमागम-वर्णनम्)
यश्न तान् संगतान् सर्वान् पाण्डवान् वारणावते । दह्तो मोचयामास तेन वस्ते5भ्ययुज्जत
yas tu tān saṅgatān sarvān pāṇḍavān vāraṇāvate | dagdhān mocayāmāsa tena vaste 'bhyayujjata ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Namun orang yang di Vāraṇāvata telah menyelamatkan semua Pāṇḍava ketika mereka dihimpunkan dan dibakar—terhadap orang itulah kini mereka bersiap untuk berarak.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral reversal: the person who acted as a protector and rescuer is later treated as an enemy. It points to the erosion of gratitude and dharmic reciprocity when political ambition and enmity dominate decision-making.
Sañjaya recalls the episode at Vāraṇāvata where the Pāṇḍavas were endangered by fire and were rescued. He then notes that forces are now being mobilized against the very rescuer, signaling intensifying hostility in the lead-up to war.