पाण्डवाश् चापि निर्गत्य नगराद् वारणावतात् ॥
जवेन प्रययू राजन् दक्षिणां दिशम् आश्रिताः ॥
विज्ञाय निशि पन्थानं नक्षत्रैर् दक्षिणामुखाः ॥
यतमाना वनं राजन् गहनं प्रतिपेदिरे ॥
ततः श्रान्ताः पिपासार्ता निद्रान्धाः पाण्डुनन्दनाः ॥
पुनर् ऊचुर् महावीर्यं भीमसेनम् इदं वचः ॥
pāṇḍavāś cāpi nirgatya nagarād vāraṇāvatāt ||
javena prayayū rājan dakṣiṇāṃ diśam āśritāḥ ||
vijñāya niśi panthānaṃ nakṣatrair dakṣiṇāmukhāḥ ||
yatamānā vanaṃ rājan gahanaṃ pratipedire ||
tataḥ śrāntāḥ pipāsārtā nidrāndhāḥ pāṇḍunandanāḥ ||
punar ūcur mahāvīryaṃ bhīmasenam idaṃ vacaḥ ||
'And the Pandavas, having left the city of Varanavata, hastened onward, O king, keeping to the south; discerning the path at night by the stars, they turned toward the south and, straining onward, reached a dense forest. Then the sons of Pandu, exhausted, tormented by thirst, blinded by sleep, again spoke this word to the mighty Bhimasena:'
2fefc052e7a1 · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:03:09 PM UTC
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Here the delivered Pandavas make their way through the wilderness, growing faint. It is telling that they 'find the path by the stars': Vidura's counsel is fulfilled — that the way should not be unknown to them; knowledge provided beforehand now guides them through the dark. Here is the fruit of wise instruction: what is learned in advance saves in the hour of need. Telling too is their weakness — fatigue, thirst, drowsiness: deliverance from death is not at once followed by rest, and the hard labor of escape follows upon disaster. Thus scripture shows that the path of the righteous, even once delivered, is thorny: they trudge through darkness, guided only by the stars and by their brother's strength — an image of hope that moves through the gloom toward dawn.