Shloka 3
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १५१: कृष्णस्य कौरव-अवज्ञा-निर्णयः तथा पाण्डव-योगाज्ञा
Krishna on the Kauravas’ Rejection of Counsel; Pandava Readiness Ordered
मधुरानूषरे देशो शुचौ पुण्ये महामति: । निवेशं कारयामास कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिर:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
madhurānūṣare deśe śucau puṇye mahāmatiḥ |
niveśaṃ kārayāmāsa kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The high-minded Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Kuntī, had the army’s camp established in a pleasant region free from barren salinity—clean and auspicious—having kept far away from places such as cremation grounds, temples, sages’ hermitages, sacred fords, and renowned holy precincts. The choice reflects a deliberate ethic of restraint: even amid preparations for war, he avoids disturbing sanctified spaces and maintains ritual and moral propriety.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when compelled toward conflict, a dharmic leader preserves purity and public good by avoiding harm or disturbance to sacred and socially sensitive places; strategic necessity is guided by ethical restraint.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Yudhiṣṭhira orders the army to set up camp in a clean, auspicious, pleasant, non-barren area, deliberately keeping the military presence away from sanctified or sensitive sites.