Shloka 166
लब्धवान् युध्यमानौ द्वौ बृहन्तौ गजकच्छपौ । गालव! पूर्वकालकी बात है
labdhavān yudhyamānau dvau bṛhantau gajakacchapau | gālava! pūrvakālakī bāta hai, maiṃ bhūkha-se pīḍita hokara bhārī cintā-meṃ paṛa gayā thā, parantu isī diśā-meṃ āne-par do viśāla prāṇī—hāthī aura kacchuā—mere hātha laga gaye, jo āpas-meṃ laṛ rahe the |
Yūparṇa nói: “Hỡi Gālava, chuyện ấy đã xảy ra từ thuở xưa. Bị cơn đói hành hạ, ta rơi vào nỗi lo sợ nặng nề; nhưng khi ta đến theo hướng này, hai sinh vật khổng lồ lọt vào tay ta—một con voi và một con rùa—đang giao chiến với nhau.”
युपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata ethical tension: distress (here, hunger) can drive one into anxiety and force hard choices, yet circumstances may unexpectedly provide a means of survival. It invites reflection on how necessity, compassion, and dharma are negotiated when life is threatened.
Yuparṇa recounts to Gālava that, while suffering from hunger and worry, he came upon two massive beings—an elephant and a tortoise—locked in combat. Their fight results in his obtaining them, setting up the next part of the story about what he does thereafter.