Shloka 17
Ajñātavāsa-saṅkalpaḥ — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Resolve and Dhaumya’s Exempla on Concealment
ततः सत्यवत: कायात् पाशबद्ध॑ वशं गतम् । अड्गुष्ठमात्रं पुरुषं निश्चकर्ष यमो बलात्,तदनन्तर यमराजने सत्यवानके शरीरसे पाशमें बँधे हुए अंगुष्ठमात्र परिमाणवाले विवश हुए जीवको बलपूर्वक खींचकर निकाला
tataḥ satyavataḥ kāyāt pāśabaddhaṁ vaśaṁ gatam | aṅguṣṭhamātraṁ puruṣaṁ niścakarṣa yamo balāt ||
Então Yama, pela força, arrancou do corpo de Satyavān a Pessoa do tamanho de um polegar — o princípio vital, atado e impotente, preso no seu laço. A cena evidencia o poder nu da Morte sobre a vida encarnada, ao mesmo tempo que prepara o contraponto moral: a retidão firme e a resolução devotada que desafiarão essa aparente inevitabilidade.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the vulnerability of embodied life before Death’s authority, setting up the ethical contrast where steadfast dharma and devoted resolve (as in the Sāvitrī narrative) confront and morally negotiate what seems inevitable.
Yama binds Satyavān with his noose and forcibly draws out the thumb-sized ‘puruṣa’—the life-principle/jīva—from Satyavān’s body, marking the moment of death and the beginning of the ensuing moral encounter.