Shloka 256
निर्विशड्कं वनं वीरी दाहयामासतुस्तदा । राजन! देवराजके चले जानेपर वीरवर केशव तथा अर्जुन अत्यन्त प्रसन्न हो उस समय बेखटके खाण्डववनका दाह कराने लगे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | nirviśaṅkaṃ vanaṃ vīrau dāhayām āsatus tadā | rājan! devarājake cale jānepare vīravara keśava tathā arjuna atyanta prasanna ho us samaya bekhaṭake khāṇḍavavanakā dāha karāne lage |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Dann, o König, als der Herr der Götter jenen Ort verlassen hatte, machten sich die beiden Helden—Kṛṣṇa Keśava und Arjuna—hoch erfreut daran, den Khāṇḍava-Wald ohne Furcht und Zögern in Brand setzen zu lassen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness and clarity of purpose: once the divine obstacle (Indra) withdraws, the heroes act decisively and without fear. Ethically, it points to the importance of resolute action aligned with one’s chosen aim, while also reminding the reader that human initiatives in the epic often unfold in negotiation with (and sometimes in tension against) divine forces.
After Indra departs from the scene, Kṛṣṇa (Keśava) and Arjuna, delighted and confident, proceed to have the Khāṇḍava forest burned, initiating the well-known Khāṇḍava-dāha episode.