Shloka 17
यद्येतदेवमज्ञास्यं वने वासो हि वो ध्रुवम् | शतशड्जान्मृते पाण्डौ नागमिष्यं गजाह्नयम्,यदि मैं यह जानती कि नगरमें आनेपर तुम्हें निश्चय ही वनवासका कष्ट भोगना पड़ेगा तो महाराज पाण्डुके परलोकवासी हो जानेपर शतशंगपुरसे हस्तिनापुर नहीं आती
yady etad evam ajñāsyam vane vāso hi vo dhruvam | śataśaḍjān mṛte pāṇḍau nāgamiṣyaṃ gajāhnayam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana nói: “Nếu ta biết trước sự thể sẽ thành ra như vậy—rằng việc các con đến kinh thành tất yếu sẽ kết thúc bằng cảnh lưu đày vào rừng—thì sau khi vua Pāṇḍu băng hà, ta đã chẳng rời Śataśṛṅga để đến Gajāhvaya (Hastināpura).”
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.