yamav utasvit tanayau prthayah
parthair vrtau paksmabhir aksiniva
remata uddaya mrdhe sva-riktham
parat suparnav iva vajri-vaktrat
yamau -- twins (Nakula and Sahadeva); utasvit -- whether; tanayau -- sons; prthayah -- of Prtha; parthaih -- by the sons of Prtha; vrtau -- protected; paksmabhih -- by the eyelids; aksini -- of the eyes; iva -- like; remate -- playing carelessly; uddaya -- snatching; mrdhe -- in the fight; sva-riktham -- own property; parat -- from the enemy Duryodhana; suparnau -- Garuda, the carrier of Lord Visnu; iva -- like; vajri-vaktrat -- from the mouth of Indra.
Indra, the King of heaven, carries a thunderbolt in his hand and is very strong, yet Garuda, the carrier of Lord Visnu, was able to snatch nectar from his mouth. Similarly, Duryodhana was as strong as the King of heaven, and still the sons of Prtha, the Pandavas, were able to snatch away their kingdom from Duryodhana. Both Garuda and the Parthas are pet devotees of the Lord, and thus it was possible for them to face such strong enemies.
Vidura's inquiry was about the youngest brothers of the Pandavas, namely Nakula and Sahadeva. These twin brothers were sons of Madri, the stepmother of the other Pandavas. But although they were stepbrothers, because Kunti took charge of them after the departure of Madri with her husband Maharaja Pandu, Nakula and Sahadeva were as good as the other three Pandavas, Yudhisthira, Bhima and Arjuna. The five brothers are known in the world as regular brothers. The three elder Pandavas took care of the younger brothers, just as the eyelid takes care of the eye. Vidura was anxious to know whether, after winning back their own kingdom from the hands of Duryodhana, the younger brothers were still living happily under the care of the elder brothers.
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