Shloka 6
गान्धारीपुत्रोत्पत्तिः — The Birth of Gāndhārī’s Hundred Sons (and Yuyutsu); Omens and Counsel on Succession
निधाय च भयाल्लीनास्तत्रैवानागते बले | तेषु लीनेष्वथो शीघ्र ततस्तद् रक्षिणां बलम्
nidhāya ca bhayāl līnāstatraivānāgate bale | teṣu līneṣvatho śīghraṃ tatastad rakṣiṇāṃ balam, janamejaya! |
毗湿摩波耶那说道：盗贼因惧怕，便将赃物就放在那林庵之中，并在王家护卫未至之前藏匿于彼处。待其藏匿之后，阇那美阇耶啊，守卫之军迅速赶到。追捕者见诸大牟尼正行苦修，便问道：‘两生之最啊，盗贼从哪条路逃走？我们将循此路疾追。’
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The scene sets up a classic dharma-conflict: truthfulness and cooperation with justice (helping guards catch thieves) can collide with the duty to avoid causing harm and to protect those who have taken refuge. By placing the sages between pursuers and fugitives, the narrative prepares an ethical inquiry into how a righteous person should speak and act when speech itself may lead to violence.
Thieves, frightened of capture, stash the stolen property at a hermitage and hide nearby before the guards arrive. The guards reach the hermitage quickly and, seeing the sages there, ask them to indicate the route by which the thieves escaped so the pursuit can continue at speed.