Mahabharata 3.12.72 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 12, Shloka 72
Kirmīra-rākṣasa-saṃgamaḥ (Encounter and Slaying of Kirmīra) | किर्मीरेण सह भीमसेनसमागमः
पज्चभि: पतिभिज्जाता: कुमारा मे महौजस: । एतेषामप्यवेक्षार्थ त्रातव्यास्मि जनार्दन,जनार्दन! इन पाँच पतियोंसे उत्पन्न हुए मेरे महाबली पाँच पुत्र हैं। उनकी देखभालके लिये भी मेरी रक्षा आवश्यक थी
pañcabhiḥ patibhir jātāḥ kumārā me mahaujasaḥ | eteṣām apy avekṣārthaṃ trātavyāsmi janārdana, janārdana! |
पञ्चभिः पतिभिर्जाताः कुमाराः मे महौजसः। एतेषामप्यवेक्षार्थं त्रातव्यास्मि जनार्दन॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma as protective responsibility: one’s life and safety are not merely personal concerns but are ethically tied to the welfare of dependents—here, a mother’s duty to safeguard and raise her children becomes a moral reason to seek protection.
The speaker emphasizes that she has five powerful sons born from her five husbands and pleads to Janārdana for protection, arguing that her preservation is necessary so that her children may be cared for and kept safe.
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