Shloka 7
आह्वानमन्त्रप्रयोगः — Kuntī’s Invocations and the Birth-Portents of the Pāṇḍavas
हित्वा प्रासादनिलयं शुभानि शयनानि च । अरण्यनित्य: सततं बभूव मृगयापर:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! राजा पाण्डुने आलस्यको जीत लिया था। वे कुन्ती और माद्रीकी प्रेरणासे राजमहलोंका निवास और सुन्दर शय्याएँ छोड़कर वनमें रहने लगे। पाण्डु सदा वनमें रहकर शिकार खेला करते थे
hitvā prāsādanilayaṁ śubhāni śayanāni ca | araṇyanityaḥ satataṁ babhūva mṛgayāparaḥ, bharataśreṣṭha! rājā pāṇḍuḥ ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: Tendo abandonado sua morada no palácio e seus leitos esplêndidos, o rei Pāṇḍu—ó o melhor dos Bharatas—tornou-se alguém que habitava continuamente a floresta, sempre devotado à caça. O verso enquadra uma renúncia deliberada ao conforto régio, mas também sugere a tensão ética de buscar refúgio na austeridade enquanto se permanece ligado à violência por meio da caça.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts external renunciation (leaving palace comforts) with inner tendencies (continued attachment to hunting). It invites reflection on dharma: true self-control is not only changing one’s location or lifestyle, but also transforming one’s impulses—especially those involving harm.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that King Pāṇḍu leaves the palace and luxurious beds and takes up continuous residence in the forest, where he spends his time engaged in hunting.