Shloka 10
Pāṇḍu’s Marriages, Conquests, and Triumphal Return (पाण्डोर्विवाह-विजय-प्रत्यागमनम्)
तमहं शापभीता च पितुर्भीता च भारत । वरैरसुलभैरुक्ता न प्रत्याख्यातुमुत्सहे
tam ahaṁ śāpabhītā ca pitur bhītā ca bhārata | varair asulabhair uktā na pratyākhyātum utsahe ||
अहं तु शापभीता च पितुर्भीता च भारत। स मुनिर्दुर्लभैर्वरैरुक्त्वा मामुत्साहयत्; तेनाहं तस्य याचनां प्रत्याख्यातुं नाशकम्।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear of authority (a father) and fear of spiritual consequence (a sage’s curse) can constrain personal agency; rare boons and social-religious pressure can make refusal feel impossible, raising ethical questions about consent and duty.
A woman recounts that she was caught between two fears—her father and a sage’s potential curse. The sage offered extraordinary boons and urged her, and under that pressure she felt unable to reject his request.