Shloka 14
अध्याय २७०: प्रहस्त-वधः, धूम्राक्ष-हननं, कुम्भकर्ण-प्रबोधनम्
Chapter 270: Slaying of Prahasta; Defeat of Dhūmrākṣa; Awakening of Kumbhakarṇa
न बुध्यते नाथवतीमिहाद्य बहिश्नरं हृदयं पाण्डवानाम्
na budhyate nāthavatīm ihādya bahiṣṇaraṃ hṛdayaṃ pāṇḍavānām
Vaiśampāyana disse: «Mesmo hoje, o coração dos Pāṇḍavas não desperta para o fato de que aqui não estão sem protetor; sua firmeza interior volta-se para fora, sem reconhecer o amparo que está com eles.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological point: in crisis, one may overlook existing support and guidance. Ethical steadiness (dharma) requires clear discernment—recognizing protectors, allies, and rightful counsel rather than letting the heart run outward into anxiety and confusion.
In the Vana Parva context of the Pāṇḍavas’ hardship, the narrator remarks that their inner understanding has not yet settled: they fail to perceive themselves as ‘protected’ and remain mentally scattered, oriented to external distress rather than to the sustaining support available to them.