Shloka 17
Rājarṣi-samāgamaḥ — Yudhiṣṭhirasya Dharma-parīkṣā ca
Meeting the Royal Sage and a Dharmic Audit
वहन्तु राक्षसा विप्रान् यथाश्रान्तान् यथाकृशान् | त्वमप्यमरसंकाश वह कृष्णां घटोत्कच,“देवताओंके समान तेजस्वी घटोत्कच! तुम्हारे साथी राक्षस लोग इन ब्राह्मणोंको, जो जैसे थके और दुर्बल हों, उसके अनुसार कंधेपर बिठाकर ले चलें और तुम भी द्रौपदीको ले चलो
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
vahantu rākṣasā viprān yathāśrāntān yathākṛśān |
tvam apy amara-saṅkāśa vaha kṛṣṇāṃ ghaṭotkaca ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Biarlah para rākṣasa mengangkat para brāhmaṇa—masing-masing menurut kadar letih dan lemahnya. Dan engkau juga, wahai Ghaṭotkaca yang bersinar laksana para dewa, dukunglah Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Strength entails duty: those with greater power should bear the burdens of the weary and weak. The verse frames assistance as a dharmic obligation—care is distributed according to need (fatigue/weakness) and capacity (the rākṣasas’ strength).
Vaiśampāyana reports an instruction that Ghaṭotkaca and his rākṣasa companions should physically carry exhausted brāhmaṇas, while Ghaṭotkaca himself is told to carry Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī), ensuring safe and swift movement during a difficult forest episode.