Shloka 256
Adhyaya 11 — Draupadī’s Grief, Demand for Justice, and Bhīma’s Departure
मामप्युद्धृतवान् कृच्छात् पौलोमीं मघवानिव । “इसी प्रकार हिडिम्बासुरसे भेंट होनेपर भी आप ही उनके आश्रयदाता हुए। विराटनगरमें जब कीचकने मुझे बहुत तंग कर दिया
mām apy uddhṛtavān kṛcchrāt paulomīṃ maghavān iva |
Vaiśampāyana disse: “A mim também me resgataste de um perigo gravíssimo—assim como Maghavān (Indra) outrora libertou Paulomī. Do mesmo modo, quando ocorreu o encontro com o asura Hiḍimba, tu te tornaste seu amparo e protetor; e na cidade de Virāṭa, quando Kīcaka me atormentou cruelmente, tu me salvaste daquela grande calamidade, como Indra salvou Paulomī.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic guardianship: a righteous protector does not abandon those in distress. Ethical excellence is shown through timely rescue, steadfast refuge-giving, and compassionate intervention during crises.
The speaker recalls being saved from severe danger and compares that deliverance to Indra’s rescue of Paulomī. The surrounding prose context links this motif of protection to earlier episodes—Hiḍimba’s encounter and the harassment by Kīcaka in Virāṭa’s city—emphasizing repeated acts of safeguarding.