Shloka 4
Ajñātavāsa-saṅkalpaḥ — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Resolve and Dhaumya’s Exempla on Concealment
अड्जनि चैव सावित्रि हृदयं दूयतीव च । अस्वस्थमिव चात्मानं॑ लक्षये मितभाषिणि,सत्यवानने कहा--सावित्री! आज लकड़ी काटनेके परिश्रमसे मेरे सिरमें दर्द होने लगा है, सारे अंगोंमें पीड़ा हो रही है और हृदय दग्ध-सा होता जान पड़ता है। मितभाषिणी प्रिये! मैं अपने-आपको अस्वस्थ-सा देख रहा हूँ। ऐसा जान पड़ता है, कोई शूलोंसे मेरे सिरको छेद रहा है। कल्याणि! अब मैं सोना चाहता हूँ। मुझमें खड़े रहनेकी शक्ति नहीं रह गयी है
adya jani caiva sāvitrī hṛdayaṃ dūyatīva ca | asvastham iva cātmānaṃ lakṣaye mitabhāṣiṇi ||
Mārkaṇḍeya disse: “Hoje, ó Sāvitrī, meu coração parece arder, e percebo-me enfermo, ó tu de fala suave.” (No contexto da narrativa, Satyavān então diz a Sāvitrī que, pelo labor de cortar lenha, sua cabeça dói, seus membros padecem, seu coração se sente como que chamuscado, e ele deseja deitar-se, sem forças para ficar de pé — prenúncio da crise que porá à prova o dharma e a devoção inabalável de Sāvitrī.)
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up the ethical ideal of steadfastness in dharma under sudden suffering: when adversity and the signs of fate appear, the virtuous response is clarity, composure, and unwavering commitment to one’s righteous duty—here embodied by Sāvitrī’s measured, devoted conduct.
A sudden physical distress is described—burning in the heart and a sense of illness—marking the onset of the crisis in the Sāvitrī–Satyavān narrative. It foreshadows Satyavān’s collapse and the ensuing encounter with Death, where Sāvitrī’s resolve becomes central.