Shloka 17
यद्येतदेवमज्ञास्यं वने वासो हि वो ध्रुवम् | शतशड्जान्मृते पाण्डौ नागमिष्यं गजाह्नयम्
yady etad evam ajñāsyam vane vāso hi vo dhruvam | śataśaḍjān mṛte pāṇḍau nāgamiṣyaṃ gajāhnayam ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: “Kung nalaman ko lamang na ganito ang kahihinatnan—na ang pagdating ninyo sa lungsod ay tiyak na mauuwi sa pagpapatapon sa gubat—hindi sana ako nagmula sa Śataśṛṅga upang pumunta sa Gajāhvaya (Hastināpura) matapos pumanaw si Haring Pāṇḍu.”
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of foresight and responsibility: when one realizes that an action (bringing someone into courtly life) will lead to suffering (certain forest exile), regret arises, underscoring how political decisions and family moves can have irreversible dharmic consequences.
The speaker reflects retrospectively: after Pāṇḍu’s death, they came from Śataśṛṅga to Hastināpura (Gajāhvaya). Seeing that this move ultimately results in the Pāṇḍavas’ inevitable forest exile, the speaker states that, had this outcome been known, they would not have come to the city.