Shloka 19
Kubera’s Fivefold Nīti and Protection of the Pāṇḍavas (वैश्रवणोपदेशः)
ददृशु: पाण्डवा राजन् गन्धमादनमन्तिकात् । पृष्ठे हिमवत: पुण्ये नानाद्रुमलतावृते,राजन! वहाँ पाण्डवोंने गन्धमादन पर्वतका निकटसे दर्शन किया। हिमालयका वह पावन पृष्ठभाग नाना प्रकारके वृक्षों और लताओंसे आवृत था। वहाँ जलके आवर्तोंसे सींचकर उत्पन्न हुए फूलवाले वृक्षोंसे घिरा हुआ वृषपर्वाका परम पवित्र आश्रम था। शत्रुदमन पाण्डवोंने उन धर्मात्मा राजर्षि वृषपर्वाके पास जाकर क्लेशरहित हो उन्हें प्रणाम किया
dadṛśuḥ pāṇḍavā rājan gandhamādanam antikāt | pṛṣṭhe himavataḥ puṇye nānādruma-latāvṛte ||
Wika ni Vaiśampāyana: O Hari, namasdan ng mga Pāṇḍava ang Bundok Gandhamādana mula sa malapitan, sa banal na hilagang dalisdis ng Himalaya, na nababalutan ng sari-saring punò at mga baging.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and spiritual value of approaching sacred places with humility: the Pāṇḍavas’ journey through hardship leads them toward a purified environment, suggesting that dharmic resilience is sustained by reverence for holy landscapes and the discipline they inspire.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the Pāṇḍavas come close to Mount Gandhamādana and behold it on the sacred Himalayan slopes, richly covered with trees and creepers—marking their movement deeper into a sanctified Himalayan region during their forest exile.