Shloka 4
आर्जुन–गन्धर्वसंवादः
Arjuna–Gandharva Dialogue on Honor, Night-Power, and Purohita-Nīti
इत्यर्थमिष्यते5पत्यं तारयिष्यति मामिति । अस्मिन्नुपस्थिते काले तरध्वं प्लववन्मया,'संतानकी इच्छा इसीलिये की जाती है कि यह मुझे संकटसे उबारेगी। अत: इस समय जो संकट उपस्थित हुआ है, उसमें नौकाकी भाँति मेरा उपयोग करके आपलोग शोकसागरसे पार हो जाइये
ity artham iṣyate 'patyaṃ tārayiṣyati mām iti | asminn upasthite kāle taradhvaṃ plavavan mayā ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Chính vì thế người ta mới mong có con, nghĩ rằng: ‘Nó sẽ cứu ta.’ Nay thời khắc hiểm nghèo đã đến; hãy dùng ta như chiếc thuyền mà vượt qua, để qua khỏi biển sầu khổ.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames progeny not merely as continuation of lineage but as a dharmic support in times of crisis: children are expected to help parents ‘cross over’ suffering, practically and emotionally, like a boat carrying someone over dangerous waters.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a reflection voiced in the story-context: at a moment of pressing danger and sorrow, the speaker urges others to rely on him as a means of deliverance—using the boat metaphor to express guidance and rescue through a difficult passage.