Shloka 5
Droṇotpattiḥ, Astralābhaḥ, Drupada-vairasya bījaṃ ca
The Birth of Droṇa, Acquisition of Weapons, and the Seed of Enmity with Drupada
हिडिग्बोवाच यदेतत् पश्यसि वन॑ नीलमेघनिभं महत् । निवासो राक्षसस्यैष हिडिम्बस्य ममैव च,हिडिम्बा बोली--देवि! यह जो नील मेघके समान विशाल वन आप देख रही हैं, यह राक्षस हिडिम्बका और मेरा निवासस्थान है
Hiḍimbovāca: yad etat paśyasi vanaṁ nīlameghanibhaṁ mahat | nivāso rākṣasasya eṣa Hiḍimbasya mamaiva ca ||
Wika ni Hiḍimbā: “Ginang, ang malawak na gubat na nakikita mo—madilim na gaya ng bughaw na ulap ng ulan—ay tirahan ng rākṣasa na si Hiḍimba, at tirahan ko rin.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily establishes context rather than a direct moral injunction: it highlights discernment in unfamiliar spaces—recognizing that appearances and locations can signal hidden danger, and that one should understand the nature of a place and its inhabitants before acting.
Hiḍimbā points out to the addressed woman (in context, the Pāṇḍavas’ party, especially Kuntī) that the vast, cloud-dark forest they are seeing is the home territory of the rākṣasa Hiḍimba and also her own dwelling, setting the stage for the ensuing confrontation.