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 ||
Hiḍimbā nói: “Thưa phu nhân, khu rừng mênh mông này mà bà đang thấy—đen sẫm như áng mây mưa xanh—là nơi cư ngụ của rākṣasa Hiḍimba, và cũng là của ta.”
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.