Shloka 21
अर्जुनस्य लक्ष्यवेधः
Arjuna’s Hitting of the Target at the Svayaṃvara
न चैतन्न: प्रियं तात यदिदं कर्तुमिच्छसि । नियच्छेदं मन: पापात् सर्वलोकपराभवात्,वत्स! तुम जो यह (सब) करना चाहते हो, वह भी हमें प्रिय नहीं है। सम्पूर्ण लोकोंका पराभव बहुत बड़ा पाप है, अतः उधरसे मनको रोको
na caitannaḥ priyaṃ tāta yad idaṃ kartum icchasi | niyacchedam manaḥ pāpāt sarvalokaparābhavāt ||
Vasiṣṭha sprach: „Mein liebes Kind, was du zu tun wünschst, ist uns nicht angenehm. Zügle deinen Geist von diesem sündhaften Weg, denn er würde den Untergang aller Welten herbeiführen.“
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vasiṣṭha teaches self-restraint: one should check the mind from sinful impulses, especially when an intended act would cause widespread harm. Ethical judgment is framed in terms of consequences for the whole world (sarva-loka) and the avoidance of pāpa.
Vasiṣṭha addresses a younger person affectionately (“tāta”) and dissuades him from carrying out a plan that Vasiṣṭha considers unacceptable. The warning emphasizes that the proposed action would lead to the downfall of all worlds, so the listener must restrain his mind and abandon the course.