Shloka 3
Varuṇa’s Bestowal of the Gāṇḍīva and the Arming of Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna
Khāṇḍava Prelude
एष एव वधोडस्माकं सुपर्याप्तस्तपोधन | यद् वयं संशितात्मानं प्रलोब्धुं त्वामिहागता:,“तपोधन! हमारा तो पूर्णरूपसे यही मरण हो गया कि हम आप-जैसे शुद्धात्मा मुनिको लुभानेके लिये यहाँ आयीं
eṣa eva vadho 'smākaṃ suparyāptas tapodhana | yad vayaṃ saṃśitātmānaṃ pralobdhuṃ tvām ihāgatāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Asket, reich an Entsagung! Dies ist wahrlich unser völliger Untergang—vollauf genug als unser ‚Tod‘—dass wir hierher gekommen sind, um dich zu verführen, dich, den selbstbeherrschten und geläuterten Weisen.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Attempting to corrupt or tempt a person established in self-restraint is presented as a grave ethical transgression; the speakers frame their own act as a self-inflicted ruin, underscoring reverence for tapas (austerity) and the moral weight of intention.
The narration reports a confession addressed to an ascetic: the speakers admit they have come ‘here’ with the purpose of enticing him, and they declare that this very act is enough to count as their downfall—highlighting the tension between temptation and ascetic integrity.