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
இன்றும் பாண்டவர்களின் இதயம், இங்கே அவர்கள் ஆதரவற்றவர்கள் அல்லர் என்பதை உணராது; அவர்களின் உள்ளார்ந்த உறுதி வெளிப்புறத்தையே நோக்கி அலைகிறது.
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.