Shloka 21
Arjuna’s Account of Tapas and the Kirāta Test; Revelation of Maheśvara and the Grant of the Pāśupata-Astra
न मोहात् कुरुते जिष्णु: कर्म पाण्डव गर्हितम् । न पार्थस्य मृषोक्तानि कथयन्ति नरा नृषु,पाण्डुनन्दन! तुम्हारे भाई अर्जुन कभी मोहवश निन्दित कर्म नहीं करते। मनुष्य आपसमें कभी अर्जुनके मिथ्याभाषणकी चर्चा नहीं करते हैं
na mohāt kurute jiṣṇuḥ karma pāṇḍava garhitam | na pārthasya mṛṣoktāni kathayanti narā nṛṣu, pāṇḍunandana |
Dhanada said: “Jiṣṇu (Arjuna) does not, out of delusion, commit any deed that would be censured among the Pāṇḍavas. Nor do people speak among one another of any false words ever uttered by Pārtha. O son of Pāṇḍu, his conduct is free from blame and his speech is trusted.”
धनद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral authority rests on freedom from delusion (moha) and on truthfulness: Arjuna is praised as one who avoids blameworthy action and whose speech is not associated with falsehood, making ethical reputation a form of social proof of dharma.
Dhanada (Kubera) addresses a Pāṇḍava and offers character testimony about Arjuna, affirming that he does not commit censurable deeds out of delusion and that people do not circulate stories of him speaking untruth—thereby defending his integrity in the ongoing context of the Pāṇḍavas’ trials.