Shloka 17
Prabhāsa-tīrthe Vṛṣṇi–Pāṇḍava-saṅgamaḥ; Halī Rāmasya dharma-vimarśaḥ
Meeting at Prabhāsa and Balarāma’s Reflection on Dharma
प्राच्यां नृूपानेकरथेन जित्वा वृकोदर: सानुचरान् रणेषु । स्वस्त्यागमद् योडतिरथस्तरस्वी सो<यं वने क्लिश्यति चीरवासा:,जो पूर्वदिशामें (दिग्विजयकी यात्राके समय) केवल एक रथ लेकर युद्धमें बहुत-से राजाओंको सेवकोंसहित परास्त करके सकुशल लौट आये थे, वे ही अतिरथी और वेगशाली वीर वृकोदर आज वनमें वल्कल वस्त्र पहनकर कष्ट भोग रहे हैं। जिसने समुद्र- तटपर सामना करनेके लिये आये हुए दक्षिण दिशाके सम्पूर्ण राजाओंपर विजय पायी थी, उसी वेगवान् वीर इस सहदेवको देखो--यह आज तपस्वीकी-सी वेषभूषा धारण किये हुए दुःख पा रहा है
prācyāṁ nṛpān aneka-rathena jitvā vṛkodaraḥ sānucarān raṇeṣu | svasty āgamad yo ’ti-rathas tarasvī so ’yaṁ vane kliśyati cīra-vāsāḥ ||
Baladeva disse: “No quadrante oriental, Vṛkodara (Bhīma) venceu muitos reis — com seus séquitos — em batalhas, e voltou são e salvo, embora lutasse com apenas uma carruagem. Esse mesmo ‘atiratha’, poderoso, veloz e temível, agora sofre na floresta, vestido com casca de árvore. O verso lamenta a reviravolta da fortuna: um herói que outrora sustentou o dever régio pela conquista, hoje é compelido, por causa do dharma e do exílio, a suportar a adversidade.”
बलदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the instability of worldly status: even the greatest warrior, celebrated for conquest and royal prowess, may be brought to hardship by the demands of dharma and circumstance. It invites reflection on endurance, duty, and the ethical weight of exile borne without abandoning righteousness.
Baladeva points to Bhīma (Vṛkodara) and recalls his earlier victories in the eastern campaign—defeating many kings and returning safely—then contrasts that glory with Bhīma’s present condition: living in the forest in ascetic bark-clothing and suffering the hardships of exile.